Middle EarthBound
by A Polar Bear
Summary: King Lucas is not who you think he may be. The Nowhere Kingdom is not what it appears on the outside. You escaped from a world of destruction, death, and betrayal, Ness, but all you have done is land yourself in another one. Medieval AU.
1. 1 The Kingdom of Nowhere

"Then what happened?"

"They began to fight. It was quite something to see, I thought the boy wouldn't last 3 seconds, but somehow, he was able to clash swords equally with the other man. I don't think I've seen such an amazing sword fight, even back in our homeland!"

"And how old did you say this boy was?"

"I'd gather around my age at the time."

"Riiiiight..."

"Jest all you want Tracy, but I know what I saw. I think his sparring skills surpass even mine."

"If you could call flailing about with a broomstick sparring...h-hey! Cut that out, hahaha! Stop, tickling me, Ness! Haha! I give! I give! I'm sorry!"

"Heh, you better be, sis."

"...So what happened? Who won the fight?"

"...It wasn't pretty, I'm afraid. I'm still not entirely sure how he did it, but the other man blasted the boy away from him without touching him, and his sword fell out of his hand."

"..."

"The boy tried something similar, but it didn't have nearly the same effect on the man."

"...you mean they both knew magic?"

"...maybe..."

"...go on."

"The other man went up to the boy, and forced him on the ground with his powers...and that was it...he stabbed the boy in the heart...and it was over."

"...and that's when you ran?"

"...yeah, I felt that he knew where I was, so I ran before he could get me...I guess lucky for me he didn't give chase."

"...you think he would've killed you too?"

"I don't know, I mean, I don't think I've done anything to upset anybody to the point that they'd wish death upon me, but that man just gave off an uncomfortable vibe, and my instincts told me to run."

"I see..."

"..."

"So would you say their magical abilities were similar to yours?"

"...I'm not certain. But they were both definitely more practiced in it than me, I mean, all I can do right now with my magic is move small objects around and heal minor injuries."

"Hey, you're the only one I know who has them, so I'd say that's pretty impressive."

"Thanks Tracy."

"So it's clear that this land is familiar with the magical arts. Then why have you been stubbornly keeping your powers a secret?"

"Seeing a man use it to help him stab a kid in the heart isn't exactly motivating me to tell anyone. I haven't seen anyone else in the Nowhere Kingdom use magic either. For all I know, it could be a taboo, forbidden, punishable by death. You remember how war started back in our homeland don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess it would be bad if you were gone. I'd have to pull all the weight of the chores then."

"Hey!"

"Calm down, Ness! Think of it as my way of saying 'I love you, bro.'"

"Yeah, ok, whatever...so why did you want me to tell you this whole thing again? It happened 3 years ago."

"Oh, I was just looking up some missing children cases in the library, so I thought your encounter might've been able to clue me in on something."

"Oh, ok...still, gotta feel bad for the boy. Wonder what he did to get himself killed like that."

"Maybe I can find out. Tell me what he looks like, and I'll see if it matches the description of any of the missing children."

"Alright. I was watching from a pretty fair distance, but I remember that his hair was ora-"

"NESS, TRACY, HAVE YOU WOKEN UP YET?"

"We have, mother! We were just talking!"

"ALRIGHT THEN. BREAKFAST IS SERVED AT THE QUARTER SUN, SO GET READY!"

"Thanks Ma! Let's get washed up for the day and get some breakfast for now, then I'll come with you to the library to see if we can get a name for the dead kid. If nothing turns up, I'll see if I can get you into the Castle's archives, gotta be something in there."

"Great! Thanks brother!"

"No problem! Besides, I've always wanted to see our King's home was like on the inside."

-01210-

The Estate of Tazmily was the biggest of the Nowhere Kingdom. It was a hub for trade and commerce, and the home to a significant portion of the Kingdom's population. As such, there were houses and buildings, ranging from small huts to large luxurious mansions, all neatly placed in a grid fashion, covering a very large area, which in turn, is surrounded by a sturdy stone wall.

Tazmily was built on a large peninsula, surrounded by a mostly unexplored ocean. The only way into the Estate was a large road leading in from the north. The city covered most of the land, and at the southernmost edge, where sharp cliffs separated the houses from sea water, was the Nowhere Castle.

The Castle was laid out in a hexagonal shape, at each edge was a rook-like tower, complete with battlements and arrow slots. The perimeter was a thick stone wall, made to survive against relentless sieges. This hexagon layout protected a grand palace, the place where the King of the Nowhere Kingdom resided. A very strict filter of guards assured that only people of the highest order or having the most important of business was allowed through.

And Ness learned that he and Tracy were no exception.

The black haired boy wore a look of annoyance and dejection as he trudged away from the Castle's gates. He donned a cream coloured t-shirt with one large dark blue stripe across the middle, and black cotton shorts, while his blond sister, who didn't seem anywhere as irritated as her brother, wore a light pink dress with white trim, and a small daisy accompanied her hair. The Nowhere Kingdom was one of the first to accommodate this clothing style, preferring the comfort it gave over the archaic tights and frilly garments that most from this era would be identified with. This was a trend that many neighboring Kingdoms were following.

"Don't take it personally brother," Tracy piped up. "You couldn't have actually expected to be allowed entrance, could you?"

Ness snorted as he looked back at the towering perimeter walls of the Castle. "I do not know what the big deal is. Did I really look like I was gonna assassinate the King or something?"

"I think their reasoning was more along the lines of you not being important enough," Tracy can't help but smile at Ness, who was keeping up his sulking expression.

"Our family's Nobility. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Not enough, I guess."

Ness shoved his hands into his shorts' pockets and sighed. Tracy looked at him. She knew that Ness was a proud person, sometimes annoyingly so, and knew that being turned away probably put a damper on his ego. She put her hand around his arm.

"If it means anything, I appreciate you trying." She said in her sweetest voice.

This coaxed out a smile from Ness. "If anything, I should be sorry. I guess our fallen boy will have to remain nameless for now."

They walked together through the outlining gardens of the castle, and came up to a large, wood and steel drawbridge, which was lowered, and spanned across an artificial moat. The moat was dug from one side of the peninsula to the other, letting sea water naturally fill in the chasm. It was wide and deep enough to discourage any potential attackers to try to cross via anything but the bridge.

In the 4 years since his family moved to Tazmily, Ness has never seen the drawbridge raised up. He figured it was because the Estate and Castle has never come under direct siege, at least during the time he settled here. Ness smiled at the thought. He remembered when his father obtained his Noble status, as well as his current home, that a neighbouring Nobleman told them that the Nowhere Kingdom was the safest place to live, with a powerful army of knights that will fiercely protect the land and its residents.

I guess they would have to be pretty brave, or desperate to attack this stronghold, Ness thought, as he and Tracy crossed the bridge and began heading absentmindedly to the seaside. Confrontations with unfriendly Kingdoms were relatively common in the outer Estates of Nowhere, with the most recent in Ness's memory being one with the Kingdom of Dalaam, a small skirmish on the outermost outpost of Nowhere. By the time he heard the news, the local forces have already dispatched of the Dalaam soldiers.

They approached the seaside. Ness and Tracy came here often, both relished the gentle sea breeze, and the beautiful view of the endless water. The seaside also served as a reminder of how they came to be citizens of Tazmily, a journey across-

"Oh!" A small gust has blown the daisy out of Tracy's hair, and towards the water. Tracy reached for it, but the small flower floated out of her range, and gently dropped into the calm sea.

"Well, it looked good on you while it lasted," Ness compromised.

"Can't you get it for me?"

"What? I do not plan on getting wet."

"I meant the OTHER way."

"...oh." Ness suddenly looked tense, his light purple eyes watching the flower slowly carry away with the current. "Can't you get another one?"

"Terry gave me that one..." Tracy pleaded with her eyes. Hers were a light shade of lilac, and right now they were burning a hole into Ness's conscience.

Ness sighed, shaking his head in mock exasperation. Terry was a good friend of Tracy's, and she claimed that she had a crush on him, although Ness doubted his 10 year old sister knew too much about love. Nonetheless, he gave in, partly because it had been a while since he last practiced his powers.

"Alright," he peered over his shoulders, and saw no one was around. "Keep a lookout for me sis."

"Thanks, Ness."

"Yeah, yeah," Ness began to concentrate, and he raised his right palm to point at the slowly retreating flower. His eyes focused on the target. Suddenly a force field, grey and translucent, sparkling with red, yellow, and blue light, appeared around the flower, displacing the water around it. Ness brought his palm up slowly, and the force field containing the small daisy mimicked the action, lifting out of the sea. Now it began to float towards his outstretched hand.

"It looks cooler every time I see it," Tracy remarked, watching the strobe of lights carry her flower.

Ness ignored her, still concentrating. Although the flower was light, it still demanded all of his attention, and it was beginning to wear him out. He discovered his power while quite young, but never really practiced magic out of fear of discovery. The flower finally floated close enough for Ness to gently grab it by the stem. He beamed as he handed it to Tracy, who was lightly applauding.

"I am indebted to you, oh great Ness!" she laughed as she replaced the flower in her hair.

"Whatever you say, mi-Lady," Ness retorted as he turned around to return home. "You're just lucky no one was around or there would be hell to p-"

Ness looked into the face of a brown, shaggy haired man, who calmly looked back at the boy with small eyes. He had large, curving eyebrows, a small mustache pointed out on both sides, and a general feel of lack of hygiene. He was quite tall, around a head taller than Ness, and he wore light red pants, and an exquisite golden uniform with red trim.

Ness and Tracy looked at him, a dawning expression of horror on both faces. They recognized the uniform. Worn only by the advisors to the King of Nowhere, they were a rare sight in public. Ness felt Tracy move closer to him, and in that moment, he was absolutely sure that this man had seen him perform magic. And a pet to the King himself, no less.

This is it, Ness thought, he's gonna take me away, and torture me, and kill me or something, like those people back at my homeland...

The man didn't move, just regarded the two kids with an unreadable expression. The kids looked back at him, afraid to move, afraid they might do something to provoke a response.

Unable to bear it anymore, Ness decided to take charge. "Uhh...e-excuse us, sir.." He took Tracy's hand, and made to walk around the man.

The man did not make a move to stop them. But Ness could feel his eyes following them as they sped towards the Noble quarters, where their house is. When he felt like they were far enough, Ness chanced a look back.

The King's advisor was now walking to the drawbridge, back to the Castle. The back of his uniform sported a red and gold sunflower design, the Kingdom of Nowhere's emblem. Ness saw that he walked with a noticeable limp on his right leg, and a small pang of pity sprang up underneath his anxiety.

The two siblings silently returned to their large house's doorstep. Both looked a bit shaken.

"Do you think he saw me?"

"Well, he walked away not doing anything, what do you suppose that means?"

"I have no idea." Ness was rattled by the encounter, and more so by the apparent indifference to him using his magic. Maybe he didn't actually see him do it?

"Ness?"

"I...I'm gonna go talk to Jeff about this. You tell Ma, but keep quiet about it to anyone else."

"Alright."

As he watched his little sister close the door behind her, Ness started to the Estate's largest Blacksmith. His mind was racing, and he needed a friend to help him sort out his thoughts.


	2. 2 The Blacksmith

Walking through the Kingdom's Capital, Ness stood out among the sea of merchants and workers that crowded the streets. Coloured clothing like Ness's cream and cobalt shirt was reserved for wealthy nobles, a mere 5% of the Estate's population. Most of the lower social classes wore simple brown or grey shirts and overalls.

As such, it was impossible for the boy to not attract a few stares, but most were not surprised to see him wandering the streets of the 'labourers'. Ness and his family interacted with the townsfolk regularly, an act most Nobles deem unfit of their status. Ness himself was a respectful and cheerful child, and as such, the people responded to him with that same respect.

Most of them anyway.

There were many people who also despised the upper class. Their reasons were justified. Nobility sometimes mistreat the lower working classes. It was only natural.

Ness was deep in thought, still trying to wrap his head around what to do. His encounter with the King's Advisor unnerved him. He was certain now that the man with the limp saw him perform magic. There would be no other reason for him to stare them down like that. _But why didn't he do anything? What's gonna happen now? Jeff will know, he's a snap at royal policies and stuff like that..._

He bumped into something.

Ness looked up to see a rather angry face staring down at him. "Sorry, sir, I was not really paying attention..."

"You must think an apology will absolve you from your sins, Noble."

This caught Ness's full attention. The man before him was dressed in mostly white, a belt tightened around his waist held up silver pants stretched down to his sandals. Ness recognized this distinct clothing style to be Dalaamian.

He did not like what the man's tone implied. But he was not one to back down.

"I apologise for bumping into you. In Nowhere Kingdom, that is the standard for making a mistake."

"And you must also thing I'm scum." The man closed into Ness. Ness did not back down. "You must think your status gives you the right to push us around, is that it?"

The exchange was garnering attention. Onlookers frowned and mumbled amongst themselves, but none made a move to interfere.

"I meant nothing of the sort. It was an honest mis-"

"Ha! The day I see you Nobles make an 'honest' mistake..."

The man made to shove Ness back, but the boy swatted his hand away. He did not expect this, and his hatred was overtaking his self control.

Ness studied the man, a frown creasing over his large purple eyes. It was clear he did not wish for a pleasant ending. He watched as anger contorted the man's face. He was taller than him, relatively well built, scratches on his exposed face and arms. Blisters were on his fingers, a giveaway that he was a farmer. He seemed quite incapable of rational thought right now.

Ness inwardly smiled. He could take him.

Right on cue, the Dalaamian farmer threw a punch at Ness's face, which the boy dodged quite easily. The man was taken aback by the kid's reflexes, but not enough to stop him from launching a barrage of uncoordinated punches and kicks at him.

_Wonder what caused him to get this mad_, Ness thought as he weaved around the flurry of arms and legs. It was an amateurish fighting style, one that Ness could easily avoid. He saw his chance when the man took a large overhead swing aimed at his face. Ness ducked under the fist, dashed and punched the man in the stomach. As the man doubled over from the attack, he spun around behind him and did a spin kick right between the shoulder blades, knocking the farmer flat on the ground.

Embarrassment now accompanied the man's growing frustration and loathing as he picked himself off the dirt ground. He looked back at the kid, who was stood with his arms folded, a look of disinterest on his face. Seething, the man grabbed a large pole lying against a house and charged.

Ness saw him reach for the pole, and searched his surroundings for something similar. He grabbed a broomstick, inwardly kicking himself as he remembered his conversation with Tracy that morning, and brought it up just in time to parry a blow aimed at his skull.

The growing crowd of onlookers were now cheering as the man took futile swings at the comparatively tiny boy, who expertly dodged all of them. They saw the man miss a wide swing, and the boy take advantage by thrusting his broomstick into his chest, pull it back, and swung it around and slammed it hard into the side of his face. Once again knocked on the ground, the crowd cheered and clapped, and the boy grinned appreciatively.

"All right, that's enough now!"

Ness saw the circle of onlookers part to reveal two men wearing medium helmets and chainmail, each wielding a long spear. The Tazmily Estate LawKeepers. They walked up to the fallen man, and picked him up, one on each arm.

"Well done, Sir Ness," one of the LawKeepers commented. "Although I expected nothing less from a fighter like yourself."

Some of the onlookers nodded. It was well known that Ness was a superb fighter, often outclassing his Noble friends in spars, and was an inspiration to many younger children. Ness responded with a grin.

"Anytime. Do find out what caused this man to act so brutish."

"Will do, Sir." With that they turned and lead the defeated Dalaamian away. Ness saw him give one more look of hatred, but the effect was somewhat reduced by the dirt stains on his white clothes, and red broomstick handle print that covered the right of his face. Ness laughed as he put back his weapon.

_Now where was I...?_ Ness looked around the conglomeration of buildings, and faced a wide, single story house with multiple chimneys spewing smoke.

While the Blacksmith Jeff worked at was not the biggest or wealthiest in the Estate, it was well known for creating unique weapon designs, some suiting the most specific of tasks. The quality of its products was impeccable, so much so that Royal Guards of Nowhere Castle often came here to buy or refine their swords.

The Shopkeeper looked up and saw Ness come through the heavy iron doors. Ness gave him a gesture of greeting, and was promptly pointed to the room Jeff was working in. The Shopkeeper knew practically the only reason Ness came here was to visit his best friend.

Ness opened the door to Jeff's workshop, and almost got his face sheared off by a shower of red sparks.

"Jeff!"

"It would be prudent to knock before entering next time, my friend." Jeff wore a sly smile as he slowed down his grinding wheel and placed the scimitar he was working with on an adjacent table.

Ness gave him a dirty look, but can't stop a grin from forming on his face. His friend was wearing a dark green shirt, covered by a burnt and worn out apron, and matching green trousers. His blond hair was cut neatly, but his most striking feature was the two pieces of near opaque glass that covered his two eyes. They were connected to a frame that was held in place by his ears and the bridge of his nose. Jeff claimed they helped him see better, but Ness never understood how.

Jeff took off his work gloves and apron, and gestured Ness to a seat beside him. "So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Ness?"

"What? Can I not grace you with my presence without having a good reason?"

"Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance." Jeff gestured to his window.

"Oh, you saw that whole fight huh?"

"Indeed, quite hard to miss, with all the racket."

"You could've given me a hand," Ness joked.

Jeff laughed at that. "And deny you the chance to boost your already quite massive ego? You seemed to have little trouble taming that barbarian."

Ness did not know whether to act insulted or proud. "He was asking for it, I guess."

"Now then, would do kindly bring up your topic of conversation, or shall I return to my work?"

"Geez, you certainly are blunt."

"I enjoy you company very much, but I have orders to fill out."

"Oh, well, perhaps another time then."

"You seem troubled."

It was hard to tell if Jeff was looking at him or not because of the glasses, but Ness could sense that his friend is studying him. In the 4 years since Ness moved here, Jeff has become his best friend, his confident. The two boys knew each other quite well, and was able to tell if the other was bothered.

"...Yeah, I am actually."

-01210-

"...Can't say I expected this..."

"Indeed my Lord."

"But you are certain what you saw?"

"Very much so, my Lord. I must say I was quite surprised myself."

"Well, from what I know, all other registered users of magic in the Kingdom are under my direct orders. And none of them claim to know anyone else who can utilize magic..."

"I have done some research on this new subject, my Lord. He is the son of our Ambassador for the Kingdom of Osohe, and is currently living in the Noble quarters with his sister, whom I saw with him, and his mother."

"...Always the dependable one, Sir Duster."

"Always, my Lord."

"Now can you describe to me the magic he was using?"

"Well, it was...sparkly. He used it to pick up a flower from the water and carry it back to him."

"Sparkly? One way to describe it I suppose. Now what did you notice about the user himself?"

"He seemed very focused, I could tell he was using quite a bit of his power to perform the act."

"A Novice, then."

"Well, he is only 14."

"Yeah, only 14..."

"My Lord?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry."

"My Lord it would be prudent to bring him under our direct control. Our ranks could always use another spellcaster."

"Not against his wishes. My Kingdom has never been about that."

"This is another magic user though, my Lord. It is dangerous to let such a powerful individual unwatched in the Kingdom."

"I have seen this boy, Ness, myself. The LawKeepers tell me he is friendly, and is often chatting with the locals of the Nobility and working classes. I trust he will not incite trouble."

"You barely know him, my Lord."

"I realize that."

"It is odd to see you display such trust. Especially considering what you have been through, with all due respect."

"It is also through trust that I am who I am today, Duster. With all that's happened, trust is one of the very few things I have left."

"...My Lord, you can always count on me to be a friend to back you up."

"...You have no idea how much I appreciate that..."

"But back to the subject at hand-"

"Let's just leave it as is right now. I will have to think about it. Personally I would like to get to know Ness better before making any decisions."

"Alright then."

"But for now, the latest polls are in, and they don't look pretty. Looks like another sleepless night for me..."

"Do try to get some rest though. It would not do the Nowhere Kingdom good to have a constantly tired King."

-01210-

"Just tell me."

"I...don't know if I should..."

Jeff sighed. It is hard to help someone when you don't know the full story. "Listen, all you have told me is a Royal Advisor caught you doing...'something', and you're asking me to figure out what he was thinking when I don't even know what that 'something' is that you did. Do you see the problem?"

Ness was exasperated. Ever since befriending Jeff, he has always argued whether or not to tell him about his powers or keep it a secret from him as well. As the years went by and the two bonded, the former was looking more and more like the better choice, but Ness was still reluctant, afraid that his buddy would reject him, rat him out. He saw that Jeff was trying to be as patient as he can, and it only made him feel guilty that while he was trying to help him, Ness was making it very hard to do so.

Jeff surveyed his friend. He could tell he was anxious, which probably meant this 'something' has a bigger affect on his life than Jeff first thought.

"Ness."

"...yeah..."

Jeff sighed again, and put out a genuine smile. "You can trust me. I do not care what your secret is. My opinion of you will never change."

He knew reassurance was what Ness needed. And sure enough, he could see his purple eyes brighten a bit. He wondered what kind of secret would be so dire that Ness would even keep from him, although Jeff had a slinking suspicion...

Ness took an overly exaggerated breath. "Alright then. You promise?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Whew..." Looking to make sure they were alone in the room, Ness spoke quietly. "...I can use...magic..."

Ness was surprised by Jeff's reaction, or rather, the lack of one. Just a slight knitting of his brows.

"Magic?"

"...yeah, magic. Y'know, supernatural stuff. I'm not really sure how to expl-"

"Show me."

Ness was slightly taken aback at the sudden demand. He watched Jeff rummage through his pant pockets, and bring out a white feather pen and placed it on the floor between them. Ness stared at the pen, then at Jeff.

"Show me, no one's looking."

He did not move, he was so surprised. It almost seemed like Jeff knew what he was talking about when he said 'magic'. Did Jeff figure it out on his own? Jeff was very clever, infinitely more so than Ness. Does this mean Nowhere Kingdom is more in touch with magical powers than he first thought?

"Whenever you're ready."

Ness snapped back to attention. "H-how did y-never mind. Umm...ok, here goes."

He raised his palm like before. The feather pen was similar in shape and weight to the flower, he felt. His mind once again entered a super-focused state, blocking out all distractions as he built up power around the pen.

Jeff was fascinated as he watched a translucent sparkling force field envelop the pen, slowly lifting it off the dusty ground and towards Ness's hand. He had never seen magic preformed, and he relished its surrealism, an unexplained force that few in the entire world could control.

It once again took quite a bit out of him, but Ness managed to get the pen to his outstretched hand and grabbed it by the tip. He looked up at Jeff.

Jeff was silent. A slight frown still present.

Ness feared the worst. "Uhh, Jeff?"

"That was quite impressive." Ness could pick up the excitement under the calm tone of his voice.

"So, there we are. Magic." He ran a hand through his obsidian hair.

"Indeed it was. This was my first time viewing it up close, and in such detail. I must say though, I did not think a person like you would be able to perform such a rare feat."

Ness felt like he should be offended, but much more pressing questions surfaced. "You know about it then?"

"Yes, the existence of magical powers and mages are of no secret, at least to the people of Nowhere."

Ness took this new information in. "So people know magic exists." That was one pressing question answered, but he felt far from safe. "Would that be a good thing or bad thing for me?"

Jeff looked thoughtful. "Well, mages like yourself are definitely extremely rare, so revealing yourself as one to the public would be a surprise, but not so such so that it would garner negative attention. Mages are not considered non-human, and are therefore, legal. Historically mages in our Kingdom have all been of great help. So don't worry, the locals will not chase you down with pitchforks and torches."

Ness exhaled loudly. He felt a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders. He was safe. There was no reason for the Castle dwellers to torture him or his family. He was already beginning to consider practising his powers more, and perhaps even showing them off. He liked the idea of being a sort of hero in Tazmily.

"I guess there was no reason to get all paranoid over that Advisor then, I suppose. He was probably just curious about the magic or something..." _This was great! Thank God this didn't end badly._

"There is still reason to worry." Jeff's tone was serious.

"W-what? Why?"

"Although magic capables are rare, there's a reason why you do not see them on public streets."

"What do you mean?"

Jeff gave a grim smile. "They are usually taken, by force if necessary, to work under the direct orders of Royalty, as soldiers."

Ness felt his heart sink. His head began to spin. Soldiers. War. Devastation. Mages, one of the most powerful human beings on Earth, turned into a machine of destruction. His homeland, destroyed. Everything burning. An everlasting war. He was about to become a part of the destruction.

"Ness are you quite alright?"

He looked at Jeff, his eyes fearful.

"You don't think King Lucas would force me to become a weapon, do you?"


	3. 3 A History Lesson

At the mention of soldiers and war, Jeff saw Ness become visibly distraught, almost frantic. This was not the first time. Jeff remembers many times when their discussions lead to the subject of war, Ness would grow uncomfortable and try to lead away from the topic. This intrigued Jeff. He could not imagine an outgoing and daring person such as Ness shy away from talk about war, a quite common topic with the Kingdoms all struggling for more land and power.

"You don't think King Lucas would force me to become a weapon, do you?"

Good question. Jeff knew Nowhere Kingdom had a powerful standing army, and the Royal family rarely forced conscription. But for magic users, he could not confidently come up with a sure answer.

"I honestly do not know."

"Don't you at least have some sliver of an idea? You're the one who's supposed to know about Royal policies and stuff." Ness pleaded.

Jeff let out a small chuckle. As a Blacksmith who often fashioned weapons for Royal Guards, as well as the son and apprentice of the legendary Weaponsmaster Andonuts, it was true that he knew quite a bit more than the average peasant, and even some Nobles, about the inner workings of Nowhere Castle. But compared to Ness, who took as much interest to politics as he did to gravel, he might as well be a Royal Advisor himself.

But this conversation stumped him. "I'm sorry Ness, I just do not have the experience with this matter."

Once again, Ness back in the dark. He can't help but assume the worst. As competent of a fighter as he is, he was not happy with his chances of surviving in the military. He has not felt this feeling of fear for quite a while now. All kinds of thought clouded him, his family, his history, his homeland...

Jeff collected his own thoughts. His normally confident friend was now retreated and frantic. He had to do something to remedy this.

"Let us think about this logically." He saw Ness give him his attention. "Even though you're a special case, Nowhere Kingdom has rarely forced citizens to become warriors, and the chances of taking a 14 year old child even less."

Ness looked out the window. "Yeah, I suppose..."

"Besides, you are under King Lucas's rule. And he rarely imposes his will onto people."

Ness considered this. It was hard to argue with Jeff's logic, and it did make him feel a little better. But he was still regretting letting Tracy talk him into getting that stupid daisy for her.

Jeff was right. King Lucas is as far from a tyrant as a King could get. From what little about politics in Nowhere that he knew, Ness could tell that he was a well liked Ruler. There were very few civil disputes in the Kingdom, and as far as he could tell, none of his family or friends seemed to harbour any ill will towards him.

"Wonder how he became such a popular King."

Ness looked back at Jeff, and found him smirking at him. "It would do you good if you spent just a little more time familiarizing yourself with political and royal affairs." Jeff said, shaking his head for added effect.

Ness rolled his eyes. "I'd rather spend my time playing stickball than trudging through all those books."

"Considering the situation you've landed yourself in, I would say now is as good a time as any to start. That way you would not be completely lost in case you are actually taken by the army." Jeff reasoned with him.

"What if I refuse? What if I fight them?"

"You were scared witless by the King's Advisor."

"So? He was a big guy, probably a good fighter."

"You claimed he walked with a limp."

"Well...that could've been a clever muse. You know, make it seem like he's helpless, but in fact he-"

"_Ness."_

"Okay, okay, fine. You win." Ness sighed. As much as he wanted to put this off, he knew that he would be much better off with at least some knowhow of the King's regime. Even if he didn't get kidnapped by the army. "I'll sit through your history lesson, just don't go all out with fancy terms."

-01210-

_Snow, as far as the eye can see._

_It was cold, but he felt comfortable, sheltering in the warmth of his two companions._

_The snow crunched beneath their steps._

_Laughter._

_It appeared in front of them._

_Its eyes an unnatural red. Each step it took shook the earth. Long brown hair. Sharp gleaming tusks._

_A fuzzy figure beside it._

_Charging._

_Running away._

_"Flee! Get back to the outpost!"_

_A scream. A piercing, echoing scream._

_Blood everywhere. Tainting the pure white snow. Splattering all over._

_On his shirt. On his hands. On his face..._

...

He awoke with a start. Cold sweat drenching his body.

He sat up on his large bed, pulling his legs to his chest, and hid his face.

-01210-

Jeff sat with his arms on his knees, leaning forward slightly. His companion doing the same.

"Your family settled in this Kingdom around 4 years ago, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good a place to start as any then." Jeff adjusted his glasses. "Back then, the Kingdom was ruled by a King Flint, who as-"

"Wait, I thought King Lucas has always ruled the land."

Jeff dropped his head, sighing. "As much as your personality contrasts it, I would like you to keep interruptions to a minimum, Sir Ness."

"Right, of course. My apologies."

"King Flint associated himself with the Sunflower, which bec-"

"Pfft. How pathetic." Ness has always wondered why Nowhere Kingdom adopted the sunflower as their national emblem. He believed a nation's emblem should reflect their strength, something he felt a flower of any kind would be inappropriate for.

Jeff clearly has a different opinion. "Quite the contrary. The sunflower reflects the country's attitude. Always looking at the sun, towards the future. A worthy symbol of stability and beauty flourishing under the watchful eye of God."

Ness gave a blank stare. He was never one to think too deeply about anything. Not to be confused with lack of intelligence, Ness is a bright person. Just very restless.

"Moving along. King Flint was shrouded with mystery. He was a man of few words. Although he had only one child, the former Prince Lucas, not much was known about his associated family, like the identity of his Forefathers. His Queen, named Hinawa, died mysteriously around 2 years prior to your arrival. There was never a definite answer for her death, and consequently many suspected foul play. Nevertheless, his rule was strict, but fair, making him a popular Ruler with workers and Nobles alike. His skill with a sword was unmatched by any in his time.

"At the time of your arrival, however, he was beginning to fall out of favour. His rule was beginning to falter, he no longer put his full effort in maintaining the Kingdom. He began to act erratic, making poor decision after poor decision. He was also seen taking large Knight squads and wandering around Nowhere Kingdom for reasons he did not disclose, sometimes even into enemy Kingdoms' territory. One thing led to another, and one year later, on the year you went on your little journey, King Flint was assassinated."

Ness took in this new information. He was beginning to feel a slight shame seeping in. He did not even realize another King ruled Nowhere for one whole year when he arrived, not mentioning he was assassinated. Although in all fairness, his first year in Tazmily Estate was quite hectic.

Ness's father worked as an Ambassador, representing Nowhere Kingdom in the Osohe Kingdom. Around one year after they settled here, his father was allegedly captured and questioned by a rouge band of warriors. After a week with his father still missing, Ness took it upon himself to find him, stowing away on a merchant cart to Osohe.

It was during this ill advised journey that Ness witnessed the fight between the boy and the mage, and saw the boy fall to a sword through the heart.

Soon after arriving at Osohe, he was reunited with his father, who had managed to escape and contact patrolling Osohe Knights. Ness then journeyed back home with his father to a very worried mother and sister, oblivious that during his excursion the King had died.

Despite all this, Ness still wondered how he could have missed something like the slaying of the Ruler of Nowhere Kingdom.

"Ness?"

"Yeah, I'm listening. Continue."

Jeff paused momentarily to study the thoughtful look on Ness's face. A rare sight.

"Very well. After his death, the Advisors of the Castle tried to remedy the situation, putting in a temporary puppet King, in hopes to keep the people of Nowhere together, and hide the temporary weakness from enemy Kingdoms."

Jeff picked up the scimitar he was working with before Ness's intrusion, and held it blade up, studying it. Ness saw his reflection on the gleaming surface.

"It was an effort in vain. News of the apparent lack of King spread. Rebellion and internal strife within settlements began. What was most worrying however, was that Dalaam forces have begun to attack in earnest at the Sunshine and Murasaki Estates, hoping to take advantage of a weak leadership."

Ness remembered these conflicts, but did not realize the situation was as serious as it was. Tazmily Estate was relatively stable during the time, as its proximity to the ruling Castle and importance to the Kingdom kept mutineers at bay. Staring at his reflection in the blade, Ness nodded at Jeff, signalling him to go on.

"Despite reinforcing the attacked Estates, the Dalaamians were pushing to victory. Rebellions in other populated concentrations were growing violent and destructive. Until..." Jeff swung the blade down. It cut into the stone floor, and stood upright even after Jeff let go of the handle. "Prince Lucas decided to step in."

Ness thought it was strange that it took that long for the Heir to the Throne to take action. Now eager to hear more of the history lesson, he gave Jeff a look that meant he had his full undivided attention.

Jeff answered his thought immediately. "Prince Lucas at the time was considered unfit for the position of King. Although he was kind and respectful, many deemed him weak, and unable to fulfill the demanding position of Ruler of Nowhere Kingdom. So it was a surprise to see him try to take on the task of restoring order. I admit, many, including myself, did not have faith in his abilities.

"Nonetheless, as the sole heir to the throne, he had every right to take control. He took a small squad of personally selected soldiers to repel the invasion of Murasaki, which was dangerously nearing Dalaam victory."

Jeff paused, and looked into the distance, apparently reminiscing.

"The result was stunning. Not only did Prince Lucas personally command his troops to bring the invasion to an utter halt, but also completely decimated the Dalaamian forces, driving them into full retreat within the day. Shortly after, he accomplished the same at Sunshine Estate."

Ness frowned slightly. Jeff was never one to exaggerate facts, so whatever happened at the battles must have been a real spectacle.

Suddenly Ness became conscious of the fact that he had never even seen the current King Lucas or the former King Flint in person. Another rather embarrassing lack of knowledge. He allowed his imagination to take over, and brought up his image of King Lucas. A tall, tough, and powerfully built man. A face that expressed gentleness, but the square jaw, heavy beard, and scars also warned his enemies to never cross him. A ruby hilted sword in his large hands. Ness couldn't help but smile at what he thought was probably the most accurate portrayal of his Ruler.

"Wow, our King must really be something to earn such praise from you," Ness said, deciding to keep his previous thought to himself.

"Indeed he has," Jeff said with a laugh. "What was more impressive, however, was how he personally travelled to every one of the Kingdom's settlements, and quelled the rebellious citizens. Some say he even used his own two hands to rebuild some of the damage done during the schisms, claiming it was his fault for not acting soon enough. He returned to Nowhere Castle a full 3 months after."

A 3 month trip of endless work and battle. _Admirable, _Ness admits, _I've always imagined Kings to be Royal sacks of dung who do nothing but order people around. At least that was the case back in the Eagleland Empire..._

"King Lucas had listened to the complaints and problems of the workers and Nobles in each settlement, and brought upon a daring, but revolutionary change. He allowed the common worker and merchant, anyone below Noble status, to partake in large decisions. He called this 'voting'. Everybody under the rule of Nowhere Kingdom was allowed to vote for or against a new set of laws or decisions for war, and the majority vote wins out."

This came as a shock to Ness. He remembers his mother talking about 'voting', but as soon as he learned it was a political term, he tuned out. He saw the genius behind this act, but also saw the dangers of giving the majority population of uneducated workers even the slightest power in Royal affairs. It was tradition that Nobility and Royalty held all the ruling power. Not even in his homeland was this allowed, the Clergy and Royals held all the power back there. Ness was surprised his has worked so well for so long, without so much of a hint of Nobles turning on him or peasants taking advantage of their newfound power.

Jeff always had the uncanny ability to follow up on other people's thoughts. "I believe a part of the reason this has worked out well without any major conflict is because of the now crowned King Lucas's display of power driving back the Dalaamians. People feared retaliation if they wrongly used the power that their King gave to them. So all decisions made were more or less honest, and the system worked up to this day."

Jeff sat back and watched Ness stare at the floor, absorbing all the information he was just told. Ness felt a myriad of emotions, still shaken at how in the dark he was, and how he never bothered to learn more about the King that lived within walking distance of his house. "Wow," was all he could manage.

" 'Wow' indeed, my friend."

Ness looked out the window, it had begun to get dark. He remembered how this whole lesson started. _If it came to it, I guess I wouldn't mind fighting in King Lucas's personal army, _he thought.

"I suppose if it came down to it, you wouldn't mind too much fighting under King Lucas's command then?" Jeff commented. Ness stared at him.

"I suppose not. I could imagine myself fighting alongside the man, he could just charge in with his sword while I stay back and enjoy the one sided slaughter." Ness began to run away with his thoughts, until he realized Jeff was giving him a blank stare.

"What?"

Jeff's face turned into a knowing look. "You haven't actually seen the King in person have you?"

Ness blushed slightly. "What makes you say that?"

Jeff just sighed, shaking his head, a visible smile on his face, as he pulled the scimitar out of the ground and placed it back on the work table. Ness somehow felt the need to defend himself.

"Well then what does he look like, Sir Blacksmith?"

Jeff was still smiling. "It would be best if you found out yourself."

_What the bloody hell does that mean?_ Ness was now imagining the King to be even bigger than he initially thought? Even rougher? If Jeff has already disclosed so much to him, how come he chose not to provide a simple description of the King himself?

Ness just shook his head, but something Jeff said earlier randomly popped up.

"What did you mean earlier when you said 'you did not think a person like me could perform magic'?"

Jeff was caught off guard by this. "Oh. No offense to you, of course, but I always envisioned mages to be more...collected and calm...and older," he added with a laugh.

Ness shared his smile. "So if I grew a beard then-"

A figure suddenly burst into the door. Brown, spiked hair, with brown eyes, wearing red and white shirt and corduroy shorts with pockets filled with an assortment of tools, a boy around their age looked at the chatting pair. Ness and Jeff raised their eyebrows.

"It would be prudent to knock before entering next time, Fuel," Jeff said.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, you say that to everyone," Fuel retorted with a smile. "Oh, hey Ness, how've you been?"

Ness smiled back at his fellow Nobleman. "I have felt better in all honesty."

"Huh? Why?"

Realizing what he had gotten himself into, and knowing Fuel was very sharp, and would be hard to sneak a lie by, Ness was now debating whether to tell Fuel his secret as well, before Jeff stepped in to rescue him.

"What did you so kindly interrupt us for?"

"Oh, ShopKeeper was wondering how the scimitar was coming along, Sir Thomas is coming to pick it up shortly."

"Oh, dear." Jeff looked at the weapon, which was still not up to his standard of quality yet. "I will have it finished soon. If you would excuse me Ness, it was nice to see you, but I must return to my work."

"Of course. Thanks for helping me, Jeff." Ness stood up and gave him a pat on the shoulder, before turning to leave. Fuel followed him. "I'll see you around."

"Yes. Take care you two."

Closing the door behind him, Fuel turned a suspicious eye to his friend. "What were you two chatting about?"

Ness did not want to give an answer when he was so unsure of what was going to happen himself. "I'll tell you at a later time." He hoped Fuel would accept this answer.

Fuel looked his black haired friend. Even though he was doing a commendable job hiding it, Fuel saw that he was a bit distraught, and perhaps even unnerved, which was not like the Ness he knew.

He decided not to pry, not wanting his friend to feel uncomfortable. "Alright. Are you going home now?"

"Yeah, I need some time alone."

Fuel grinned. "Try not to get into any fights along the way."

"Geez, did _everyone _see that?"

"Well you don't exactly 'go quietly into the night'."

"Aren't you the Jester. So I'll see you around then?"

"Count on it. See you." With that Fuel turned and headed into another room. Ness could hear Jeff's grinding wheel being put back to work.

With that, the 14 year old Noble with the pale yellow and blue shirt and dark blue pants trekked home. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything that happened that day. His encounter with the Advisor. The fight. Jeff's lecture. Ness let out an ironic smile, as he remembered the reason his family fled Eagleland Empire was to live a simpler life, devoid of conflict and confusion.


	4. 4 A New Power

He lay on his bed. His faded and dilapidated eyes were open. He knew he wouldn't fall asleep. Sleep was for normal people, people without incomprehensible power and wisdom. He did not need such trifling and time wasting. Time much better spent planning. So he just lay on his bed.

Every night, he retreats into his room like a normal person would to sleep, and he would just lie on his bed, or write down plans for the upcoming days. The glorious upcoming days. This routine was to feign normality. An act to fool the guards and other people who crowded around him like starved dogs. He was not yet so powerful as to be able to get away with any suspicious actions. But that would change soon enough.

The sun began to break over the horizon. Is it already the morn? _Time certainly passes irregularly when you're me_, he thought with a snicker. He began to pick himself up off the bed to meet with his special servant. The movement, after being still for the night, induced a series of hacking coughs and wheezes from him. _Such a bother. But I suppose it can't be helped. _

And with that, King Porky of the Minch Kingdom trudged out of his room to face another day. It didn't matter. He would live an infinite number of solar cycles before meeting his end.

-01210-

The same sun broke over the horizon and shone into Ness and Tracy's room, signaling they were about to be late.

_I'm a billion strides away from Eagleland, and I still can't avoid school. _Ness sighed as he adorned himself in his usual clothing.

A sea-blue shallow bowl hat with a red stripe circling the bottom part, a thin lip, and a black and white feather sticking out the side, sat on Ness's bed. Without warning, flashing red, blue, and yellow lights appeared around it, and it began to float on its own. It then slowly travelled to Ness, whose back was turned to it, still working to make himself presentable for the day, both his hands tugging at his shirt. It lifted up until it was above the boy's head, then simply dropped onto the raven black hair, the lights around it disappearing.

Tracy had watched the whole thing. "You are quite the show off."

Ness beamed. "I'm merely saving time."

"Just because you've found out it's legal to be a spellcaster doesn't mean you have to use magic at every single possible moment."

"Remind me next time you want your parchment cuts healed."

"Ha ha. How amusing. You should consider being the Royal Fool. Your hat suits the role anyways."

"Hey! I happen to like this hat. Ma has good taste."

"Whatever. My point still stands. If you want your ego stroked, go show off your powers to your friends. As in outside. Away from the house. That way I can avoid being hit by flying chairs."

"That was an accident, and I have apologized profusely for it. Besides, it has been a full week since our meeting with that limping Advisor, and I still haven't been dragged into the army yet. I'm hoping if I lay low for a bit longer, I would be forgotten and left to be."

"In any case, if you do not stop harassing our furniture, I'll be the one to tip off the Castle Recruiters."

"Heh, yeah...please don't."

Tracy can't help but laugh at her flustered brother. The past week had been an annoying one. Ever since Ness came home from Jeff's workplace, he had used every opportune moment to practise his powers, making quills, cloths, and eventually as he got stronger, pots, chairs, and even the dining table fly around the place. As much as it annoyed Tracy to have her food suddenly disappear from her plate, she was impressed by the progress her brother made with his magic, now being able to make heavier things fly around with ease without even looking or holding his hand out to it, and healing much more serious injuries.

"Your secret's safe with me. Although wouldn't it be easier if you just stopped using magic so much altogether?" Tracy said in a mock pleading tone.

"Hey, it's legal, so I have no reason to not go all out in our home. As long as I can avoid getting dragged into th-"

Ness suddenly felt a sharp pressure build up inside of him, stopping his thoughts. It wasn't like anything he had ever felt before, not like any sickness or injury. As soon as it came, the feeling was relieved, though it left an uncomfortable sensation lingering in his chest.

"Ness what's the matter?"

He opened his eyes, realizing he was doubled over, his hand clutching his chest. Tracy hovered over him, a hand on his back, a look of worry on her young face.

"I-it's nothing. Just felt rather strange for a second."

"Are you sure? Would you need a day off?"

"As great as that sounds, I think I'm fine, thanks."

"Well, the sun's already fully up, school will start soon, let's grab something to eat and get going."

"Alright..."

-01210-

"He's a spellcaster, isn't he?"

"What in the Lord's name are you tal-"

"Don't feign stupidity. That's what you two were talking about last week at the Blacksmith right?"

"I-I really rather not-"

"Jeff, tell me."

"..."

"I suppose you don't want to say anything without Ness's consent?"

"...How did you figure it out?"

"Well, if I had a friend who confided me with a secret, I would not-"

"I mean, how did you figure he was a mage?"

"Ah. I was going out of the Estate to visit Father, and passing his house, I looked in the window and saw a pan doing circles in midair. I figured what was happening when I saw Ness waving his hands around in that same motion."

"You recognized it as magic?"

"Yes. Recall that my good friend is an accomplished spellcaster himself."

"Ah, yes, of course."

"In any case, why is he still keeping this a secret to the public? He's not the type to pass up an opportunity to inflate his ego."

"Heh, definitely not. I suppose it's fear of conscription, you know how he acts when we talk about war and battles. He tries to stray as far from war as possible."

"Right. All spellcasters are under Lucas's direct control."

"Why don't you talk to King Lucas about this, he's your good friend, he may listen to your suggestion."

"I assume he already knows about Ness then?"

"Yes, an Advisor, from Ness's description, the one called Sir Duster, has seen him perform magic."

"Well, I have not had the chance to talk to Lucas in a week now, he seems preoccupied with something. But I suppose I could try to dissuade him in bringing Ness into his ranks. But I can only do so much. He may be my friend, but he's also the King of Nowhere, and I'd rather stay on his good side."

"Are you insinuating he has a bad side?"

"He does. Pray you don't see it."

"Cryptic."

"..."

"Well, aside from you discovering Ness's well hidden secret, what else did you say happened?"

"Ah, yes. I believe Lucas has managed to convince a mercenary from...woah..."

"...Oh dear, Ness certainly doesn't look too good does he?"

"Definitely not. HEY! HEY NESS! OVER HERE..."

-01210-

"...EY NESS! OVER HERE! YOU ALRIGHT?"

Ness perked up at Fuel's voice. The uncomfortable pressure inside him had built up since breakfast and leaving for school. His head was beginning to ache, and he was walking sluggishly, a hand over his chest. But it was good to see his two trusted friends, and by the look on their faces, Ness figured he probably looked awful.

"Well, I'll leave you to your friends then. See you after school?"

"Yeah, see you Tracy."

"Get better." Tracy walked away towards a large building complex with steep gabled roofs. The Estate of Tazmily's only official teaching centre. A fine school reserved for Nobles and wealthy merchants.

Ness started towards Jeff and Fuel, whom were frowning at their friend's condition.

"A pleasant 'good morrow' would be nice."

Jeff and Fuel both smiled, happy that his condition hasn't deteriorated his personality.

"Well, I would, but you do not look so good right now," Fuel chimed.

Jeff nodded. "Indeed, the aura you're giving off is quite..."

"Mortifying."

"That's about right."

"Enough. Please move the conversation to something other than how horrid I look." Ness groaned.

"What happened to you?" Fuel said. "If you've come down with some sickness, you should not be plaguing our school with it."

"It's not a sickness. I feel fine, well, not really. There's some kind of pressure inside me, I can't really describe how it feels, it's just...there..."

Suddenly Fuel had a strange look on his face, his brows slightly furrowed, but he had a smile on. It was almost the look of someone who had achieved an epiphany. Ness looked at him rather apprehensively.

"Is...something the matter?"

"I'll tell you later. Sun's peaking over the bell tower, so I need to get going to meet up with my students. See you around." With that Fuel trotted towards the same building Tracy headed.

Ness was a bit peeved that he had to wait for an answer, but he merely shook his head. "Can you fill me in on what he was thinking?"

"Afraid not, my friend." Jeff adjusted his thick glasses, intrigued by Fuel's reaction as much as Ness was.

Another sharp buildup of energy gave Ness a splitting headache and chest pain, causing him to gasp and drop to his knees.

"Ness! Ness are you quite alright?"

Again, it dissipated as quickly as it came, but the pressuring sensation it left was stronger than when he first felt it. His face was pale, sweat began to form over his forehead, as he was helped up by Jeff.

"I will be fine. Thanks."

"Ness you should consider going home and resting until this mysterious ailment passes."

"No...not today..."

Jeff was a bit surprised at this. Ness was not the type to give up an opportunity to pass up school. Then he remembered the reason, and began to laugh.

"Ah yes...the fair Lady returns from her trip to Murasaki Estate today, does she not?"

Ness can't help but blush a bit. Despite his strange condition, he was feeling ecstatic. "She does, and I shall be the first to greet her."

"Have fun. Do try to not vomit on her when you meet."

"Ha ha. How amusing. You should consider being the Royal Fool. Those glasses you wear suit the role well."

-01210-

While the option of putting children into school is always open to Nobles, many choose not to do so, as girls were often held back at home to help with chores, while boys were trained by their fathers to be fighters, Knights that would make the Nowhere Kingdom proud. They would not have time for petty things like religious, historical, or mathematical education. As such, often times classrooms had more adults than children.

Ness sat at his spot, barely listening to the professor at his podium drone about religious context.

"...ad thus, the Lord descended upon this land and brought forth his knowledge of the magical arts..."

He had never been one for religion. Even back in his homeland, where it was a Catholic hegemony, he did not actively participate in ceremonies.

"...of our Kingdom, under such blessing, was chosen..."

The consistent pressure in his body was irritatingly painful now, so Ness tried to bring his thoughts elsewhere, take his mind off whatever was building up inside him. _Her sparkling blue eyes, wavy blonde hair..._

"...to punish such blasphemous acts like those preformed in the Dalaam Kingdom. Our King..."

_I will see her again today. Cross the sky faster, sun!_ Ness briefly dwelled on whether he should confide her his secret. If he told Jeff, surely he could tell her...

"...formed alliances under the same belief, among other things. The rising Minch Kingdom would be wise to follow..."

Without warning, pain struck, making Ness groan and fall to the floor. His head hurt like crazy, feeling to the point that it might explode. Ness could do nothing but hold his temples with both his hands, waiting for the moment to pass. It did after a few more seconds, but the pain it left did not make him feel any better off.

"Are you alright, boy?"

Looking up, he saw a few adults, many he recognized as Royal Knights, bent over him with looks of genuine concern. Ness nodded weakly, and managed to pick himself off the floor, not wanting to look weak in front of decorated warriors of the Kingdom.

"Would you wish to go see the Healer?"

"No, I will be fine, thank you."

-01210-

A 14 year old girl stood outside in the Tazmily School's courtyard. She observed her surroundings. There was a stable for the Noblemen's horses, a well, a large bell tower, on top of which rested a flag bearing the shining Sunflower emblem.

She was wearing an aquamarine dress, the short sleeves had frills on the cuffs. Here matching eyes had a look of curiosity and playfulness. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders, with a ponytail tied at the back. She was truly a beautiful Noble girl.

She saw a man appear near the large bell of the tower, and take a mighty swing. The reverberating clang could be heard clear across half the Estate. A few moments later, many people young and old, began filing out of the structure. But she kept her eyes out for a specific young man.

And there he was, walking out with two others, one with spiked brown hair, and another with opaque glass in front of his eyes. They saw her, and the two others left him with a playful smile. He approached her with a look of pure joy, and he wore an interesting new hat that suited him perfectly in her opinion. But she saw that something was ailing him. A sickness perhaps?

"It's pleasant to see you again, Ness."

"Likewise, milady."

She can't help but laugh at his uncharacteristic display of sophistication. She stared into those purple eyes, how she longed for them when she was in Murasaki. But there was something behind them. Was he in pain?

"Ness, are you feeling okay?"

He knew he couldn't sneak lies past her. "I'm not in the best of conditions right now. But 'tis not a sickness, I would not endanger you with such a thing."

"You are so sweet."

Ness smiled warmly. But the pain inside him was ever the distraction. He clutched his forehead.

"Can I do something to help?"

He looked at her. Those light blue eyes were so full of genuine worry. The look was achingly familiar to him. Even the same blonde waving hair and peachy cheeks.

"I will be fine. As long as you are here."

She smiled and pulled the boy into a hug, buying her face into his shoulder. Ness returned the gesture, taking in her warmth. It was such a nostalgic feeling. He was back in Eagleland again, in his home town, they were hugging, laughing, enjoying their time together.

"I will always be beside you Ness," she said gently.

"...thank you, Paula."

"..."

"..."

"Ness?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Who is Paula?"

_Oh God..._ Ness's eyes widened, realization striking him like a catapulted boulder. He released her and backed up to arms length. She was looking at him with a bemused and hurt expression.

"Oh...oh I'm so sorry Nana, I-I did not mean..."

He could feel himself beginning to freeze up. The tension was thickening at an alarming pace.

"Nana, please try to understand. I-I..." he sighed, knowing there was no easy way to tell her.

Nana looked at him, a slight feeling of disbelief and anger welling up. She wanted to hear his reason. She wanted to know that she was the only girl Ness truly cared about.

"...back when I was still at my homeland, I had a best friend named Paula. We would do everything together. But when the genocide broke out, we had to escape, but we lost contact. I tried to find her, but couldn't...I had lost her. It's just that you look so similar. The same hair, eyes, even personality. I lost myself in my memories. Please forgive me." Ness cast his gaze on the ground, looking genuinely regretful.

Nana looked at the downcast boy. After a moment of silence, she lifted his head by the chin, making him look her in the face.

"I'm sorry Ness."

"Don't be. You hold no fault in this at all."

"Please don't be lonely anymore. At least you have me..."

They looked at each other with a trusting intensity. Somehow the rabble of the outside world was shut out. They moved their faces closer, both anticipating the upcoming-

Ness doubled over, letting out a strangled cry of pain.

"Ness! Ness what is the matter?"

The pressure was excruciating now. It threatened to explode out of his body. Ness was on the ground, trying to hold himself together. Somehow, he knew if he stopped trying to bar the energy, it would become a danger to everyone around him.

Suddenly Fuel was at their side, Jeff hurrying to catch up. He gave one look to Ness, then to Nana, before turning to another friend who was watching off to the side.

"Angie, please keep Nana here. Ness is feeling bad, and we're gonna get him help."

Angie obliged, walking over to the blonde girl, who began to protest angrily.

"Now hold on! I need to know what is happening-"

"Please! There's no time! Try to understand. Jeff! Come help me!" Jeff came over and helped Ness up. Draping one arm on each of their shoulders, the two boys carried Ness off quickly.

Nana immediately made to follow, but Angie held her arm. "Trust Fuel. He'll get him help, and I'm sure he'll fill you in on the details later."

Nana reluctantly stopped, and watched worriedly as the three of them crested a hill and disappeared off in the distance.

-01210-

"Jeff! Jeff put him down. We're far enough."

"What in the Lord's name is going on Fuel? You seem to know what's happening to Ness!"

At the mention of his name, the black haired boy groaned out in agony as they set him down on the grass. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees, isolated from the rest of the Estate.

Fuel held a hand to Ness's forehead. "It's a spell reaction. There's a lot of magical energy building inside him."

Jeff worriedly looked at the now sweating mage. "What would be causing it? Would it have something to do with his excessive recent use of his powers?"

"I would say yes. It has caused his body to begin unlocking his full potential. I'd say this is a reaction caused by him learning a new spell!"

Ness was still fighting the incredible pain in his body, but was listening intently at the exchange. Fuel knew? And how does he know so much about magic? He looked around to see Jeff and Fuel both staring at him. He let out another pleading cry. The pain was not subsiding, he could not hold it in any longer...

Jeff began to look frantic, something he rarely displays. "How do you remedy this?"

"He has to release the energy! It should be in the form of whatever spell he just learned!" Fuel looked at Ness. "Ness, did you catch what I said?"

"...yeah..." Ness gasped. "B-but how..."

"Focus! Control that energy into a single blast and let it out!"

"..b-but...that's...dangero-" He let out another scream of pain.

"It doesn't matter! Just do it!"

He did not have too much confidence in himself. The power within his body was intimidatingly strong, he would risk hurting his friends if he let it out.

"NESS!"

But he had no choice. Breathing heavily, he began to stand up. He tried to concentrate, put all that built up power into one attack. He held up his hands, and tried to transfer the power there. What if he hurt his friends though? _No. I would never intentionally hurt the people I care about. I would only protect them..._

With that, a blinding flash of colours appeared on his two outstretched palms. Somehow, Ness's mind began to clear. The pain was gone, and he felt nothing but exhilaration and strength. He used this sudden remedy to focus all his power to a point in front of him and released his powerful spell with a yell.

Jeff and Fuel both turned away when the bright flashing red, yellow, and blue colours formed around Ness's hands. Then they heard him give a great shout. A very alien sound followed, a strange hollow wind like effect with popping sounds. Then the unmistakable noise of an explosion. They felt a lot of wind rush past them, almost blowing them away from where they stood.

After everything calmed down, they both dropped their hands which shielded their eyes, and turned to look at what became of their friend.

Ness stood with his back turned to them, hands still raised, against a backdrop of calamity. Two trees that had been there have disappeared into shreds, the ground was wind blasted, streaks of deep gashes leading from the standing boy. Some rocks sitting around were shattered and burnt.

Ness gave a great sigh, and turned around to his two gaping friends. They seemed incapable of speech. Ness was a bit shocked at what he had done too, but somehow expected the outcome beforehand.

"Uhh...Jeff? Fuel?"

Fuel was the first to come around. "THAT. WAS. AWESOME! Incredible! Look at all that!"

Jeff seemed to recover at this. "Indeed that was quite spectacular. To think you are capable of such a feat, I am thoroughly impressed!"

Ness grinned sheepishly, a hand going to the back of his head.

"No, I'm serious," Fuel continued excitedly. "That was an incredible display. Those flashing lights and sheer feel of power, it was..."

"Unbelievable," Jeff supplied.

"Yes! Jaw dropping!"

"Heart stopping."

"Yeah! It was...it was..."

"_Rockin'._"

Fuel and Jeff turned to look at Ness when he said that. Somehow his bowl hat stayed on during the whole ordeal. His face held a contagious smile. He started laughing, and his two friends soon followed suit.


	5. 5 Discoveries

"I heard the Academy's bell ringing. Sir Thomas and SiegeMaster Fuel should be here soon."

"That's good, they'll want to hear our plans."

"This is troubling news, my Lord."

"It is. I wonder what is going through Princess Kumatora's head. An alliance between the Osohe and Dalaam Kingdoms. Unacceptable."

"Very much so, King Lucas. What do you suppose pushed the Princess to such a decision?"

"Can't be sure. Osohe was a dying Kingdom before our intervention and subsequent alliance. We kept them alive. By allying themselves with Dalaam they are ungratefully throwing our allegiance back at our faces."

"Indeed."

"I'm beginning to suspect personal reasons coming into play. If that were the case, then Kumatora is more foolish than I thought. Do you suppose your father has something to do with this, Duster?"

"Wess is a voice of reason. He would not blatantly make poor decisions that would result in Osohe's destruction. But if it comes down to it, my father would follow Princess Kumatora to Hades' Gates."

"..."

"..."

"Ugh. I really feel like this world is not worth living in sometimes."

"Hold your tongue, my Lord. Your mother would not wish for you to be thinking such blasphemous thoughts."

"...No, she would not."

"I apologise for my rudeness."

"Unnecessary, Duster, and you know it. You're absolutely right. She did not sacrifice herself just so I could throw away my life..."

"...Lucas..."

"I'll be fine. What do you think would come out of this alliance?"

"Dalaamians are outwardly hostile to Nowhere Kingdom, but I do not think they would take immediate action. Although a joint siege on the Osohe borders would be very hard to hold, I believe if it lasts more than a week, our forces should prevail. I have sent scouts to surrounding forests to make sure they are not making camp too close to our land."

"I am worried that the rulers would be willing to take direct action in the skirmishes themselves. Kumatora and Prince Poo are both capable of taking out legions of our best Knights out by themselves."

"But you are not planning to just sit idly by in the Castle, are you my Lord?"

"Never. If they dare set foot on Nowhere soil, they will deeply regret it."

"They know what happened at Murasaki and Sunshine, the Dalaamians would be foolish to not expect your presence."

"I would imagine Prince Poo is still holding a grudge about his Warriors' defeat. Dalaamians have always been so sentimental."

"Before any of that can happen, my Lord, you should consider the time it would take for the public to make their decision should it come to war with the Dalaam-Osohe alliance."

"Which is too long..."

"I estimate 2 calendar weeks for all tallies from all points of Nowhere to reach us, and by the time the votes are counted, it might be too late to effectively retaliate against the aggression."

"...that leaves little option, does it?"

"Very little."

"Alright. Implement the First Response Aggression Act for voting immediately. The sooner this is done, the more time we have to prepare appropriate counters to the threat. Osohe Knights and Dalaam Warriors are not to be trifled with."

"Immediately. You are assuming the worst then, my Lord?"

"I have no choice. The safety of my people is a top priority. But we may be able to work something out. Send notice to Osohe Castle that I request a meeting with Kumatora to discuss this...decision of hers."

"And if she doesn't respond?"

"She's my friend. She wouldn't just ignore this."

"Very well."

"That's all that can be done for now. They must make the first move..."

"Hopefully not too soon. The new Act would need time for approval throughout the Kingdom."

"..."

"My Lord?"

"Oh Duster, I'm so very tired of this. This position is trying beyond my imagination. I cannot imagine myself carrying on for much longer."

"..."

"I honestly feel like I should give up sometimes. I feel so alone..."

"...Lucas, you are not alone. Your friends will always be here to support you. Myself, SiegeMaster Fuel, all the Royal Knights, even Weaponsmaster Andonuts."

"...it's good to hear that. If I've lasted this long, I must be doing something right."

"Hah, very much so, my Lord."

"I definitely do not feel my age."

"If it's any consolation, you still look it."

"Heh, I'm definitely not the historical image of a King."

"Although it would be foolish to judge you by appearance."

"That might not actually be a good thing."

"..."

"Right then, what else should I be updated about?"

"Ah yes, the Dragon's Light Mercenary Squad has arrived at Tazmily Estate. They are currently residing in Sir Jackson's Yado Inn. They will present themselves to you in 2 solar cycles' time."

"Great. If they are as knowledgeable of this World's terrain as they claim, it would be good to have them under our control."

"If they choose to accept our terms."

"Why wouldn't they? We are paying a respectable amount."

"But when they see the King they are being ordered around by..."

"Oh. No worries. I'll convince them if need be."

"...I shall leave that to you then, my Lord."

"Thank you. Now what we need to do is cons-"

"Yes?"

"..."

"My Lord?"

"..."

"Lucas?"

"...!"

"What has happened?"

"...an unnerving feeling...some kind of magic I've never felt before...what on Earth..."

"Magic? What have you sensed?"

"Something powerful...destructive..."

"But unlike any you've ever experienced?"

"Yeah...this is not a normal spell I'm sensing. This is completely diff-"

"...my Lord?"

"Ness! It's that boy Ness! He's the source!"

"Ness? That boy I saw a week ago?"

"Can't be anyone else!"

"But he's a mere novice, like you said, how could he-"

"Just because he's a novice does not mean he is not capable of casting extremely powerful spells."

"But..."

"What is going on? I thought that he would just develop Elemental powers, like Ice or Fire, but this is completely unexpected and potentially dangerous..."

"...what do you plan to do, my Lord?"

"...no other choice. Fuel should be coming soon, I'll talk to him, he is out of the Castle much more than me. Meanwhile, Duster, you and Sir Isaac are to take him, by force if necessary, to Ionia. Do so during night time, I do not wish to attract too much attention to this matter. After the visit, let him go free, and brief me on what Ionia says. I cannot risk this any longer, especially with the new alliance threat."

"Consider it done. But are you certain this boy is so dangerous?"

"Yes. I have not felt this kind of power since...hmm..."

"Alright then. I'll tend to these matters. Good day, my Lord."

"Thank you, Duster."

...

...

"..._Rockin'? _What on Earth does that mean?"

-01210-

The sun had begun to set on the peninsula that Tazmily Estate was built on. The orange star overlooks the calm sea that surrounds the place. One side of the Nowhere Castle was emblazoned gold and silver with the light of the dropping sun, while the other casted a long shadow that stretched well past the moat, the courtyard beyond, and covered the stone mansion that was Ness's home.

The violet eyed boy had his head and arms perched on the windowsill of his bedroom, looking at the looming Castle that was eclipsing the sun. The large stone structure seemed to glow a radiant orange. It was a glorious sight, one that reflected power and dominance. It mocked Ness.

"_Fuel you are not leaving until you tell me how you know so much about magic! Fuel!"_

"_Sorry Ness! I'm late as it is for a meeting at the Castle! I'll have to tell you later!"_

"_Fuel..."_

"_See ya!"_

"_Hell. Jeff can you fill me in?"_

"_My apologies, but I cannot. But there are much more pressing issues at hand. The new power you have just shown is bound to attract the attention of the Castle. You left quite a mark back in the clearing. With the kind of destructive power you possess, you are falling in even more danger of capture and recruitment."_

"NESS! SUPPER!"

Ness wordlessly tore his gaze from the scenery and began towards the dining area. He could smell something good, and normally that would've been enough to send him sprinting to his seat at the table.

Descending the stone stairs, Ness looked out the window and saw several Estate servants with their wooden wagon pulled by a horse arrive outside their house. Every week Tazmily Estate sent these servants to Nobles' homes to resupply their firewood and hay, shovel out the waste in the lavatories and stables for fertilizer use, and offer to clean the home. Ness's family rarely accepted the latter, preferring to clean up themselves, and sending the grateful servants home early.

In a way, Ness envied the ragged clothed, unkempt, uneducated servants. _Their lives are simple. Free of worry and stress, as long as they do what they are supposed to. _The boy sighed. He had not shared such a luxury for a long time.

"_Oh no...NO!"_

"_Ness, calm down, please! Fuel has agreed to try to talk to the King and spare you from this. There is no use distressing."_

"_...what am I to do, Jeff? I would flee, but I couldn't do that to my Mother and Tracy!"_

"_Admittedly your options are bleakly limited, but you must not dwell on it. If you are taken, then so be it, perhaps it would not be so bad, perhaps you were meant to do so..."_

"_I didn't think you believe in fate..."_

"_That does not mean it is not real. I rejected the existence of magic for a long time too, and up until recently, I still had my doubts about it."_

"_Up until me, right?"_

"_Exactly. So please. Remember what I told you about King Lucas. I know you do not want to be involved in sieges and battle, but it truly may not be as bad as you think..."_

The dining room was lit by numerous candles that hung on a chandelier type holder hanging off the wooden roof, as well as some torches in brackets near the entranceways. Tracy took one of them and went upstairs, no doubt to light up the candles on the stairwell and hallways for later that night. A few portraits, painted by hired professionals, of the family, hung around the smooth stone walls. The flickering light from the fires made them seem strangely alive.

A large arched fireplace housed a roaring flame, above which hung a black cauldron. Ness's mother was doting over its contents right now, adding a few sprigs of herbs from her personal garden. A similar fireplace was upstairs, used for heating. Around the fireplace were barrels and sacks filled with milk, water, fruits and vegetables. Pots and pans, with knives and even some short swords hung on black hooks protruding from the wall. One even carried a skinned rabbit, fresh from the market.

Ness sat down on one of the 4 wooden chairs surrounding a wooden table.

"Ness, dear, I know you are worried, and I am too, but there's no use brooding over it, so please try to cheer up. I like seeing you with a brightened face much better."

Ness looked up at her blonde mother, who hovered over him with a sincere expression, her eyes wavering in the candlelight. He gave her the best smile he could muster. She smiled back, rubbing his head. Ness loved her so very much.

He had revealed the day's events to his small family as soon as he came home, hoping in vain they could give him some answer or form of reassurance.

"_Ness?"_

"_Mm hmm?"_

"_What does _Rockin'_ mean?"_

"_...in all honesty, I have no idea whatsoever. The name just came to me very clearly when I used that spell."_

"_Perhaps it is a magical term? It certainly isn't a word I have heard of."_

"_I doubt you would have, Jeff. When the word came to me, I somehow knew it was a term that I would not understand in my present time."_

"_Well all we know is that this _Rockin'_ spell is a powerful attack. You have now effectively become more potent than before, in addition to your impressive sparring skills."_

"_Please stop talking about me like I'm some sort of weapon!"_

"_Sorry, Ness."_

"_No, no don't be. I'm sorry for snapping. I'm still trying to cope with my dark looking future."_

Ness was conscious of the fact that he was supposed to be eating his favourite, fire roasted beef with a thick vegetable broth on the side, but he could not bring himself to enjoy it. After finishing his dinner, he put his plate and utensils in a designated washing bucket, and proceeded to finish that night's chores, toting some water from a nearby well, feeding his horse, and a quick perimeter patrol to make sure everything is in place.

He decided to turn in early, not particularly energized as he usually would be. He headed upstairs, and approached his dark room. Subconsciously he lifted a candle in a cup with his mind, and lit it on a nearby torch. He headed in with a sigh, the candle floating in after him.

He looked out the window. The sky was now completely enveloped by the night. Stars sprinkled the dark backdrop. The Castle was now only discernible as the only area against the sky without stars, as well as a few glowing windows. Ness thought he could make out Sentries on top of battlements, spears in hand, surveying the area.

He closed the window, and crawled under his wool blanket. He rolled on his side, and stared at the still floating candle, surrounded by flashing lights of his own creation, burning with enough light to make the whole of his and Tracy's room visible.

With another defeated sigh, he came to the realization that it was no longer a question of if anymore. He will be discovered, and he will be forced into serving under King Lucas's forces. He considered fighting them when they came to take him, but knew it was wiser and less painful to just cooperate. He wondered how long it would take someone to discover the destruction he created in the clearing, desperate to stop the pain in his body.

Ness gently floated the candle in its cup down onto the small table in between his and Tracy's beds. He would meet up with Jeff and Fuel tomorrow again. They would discuss his options. His life was going to take a sharp turn soon, and he wanted to be ready at least. He blew out the candle, and the room immediately fell pitch black. He tried to get some sleep.

...

Something woke him up, but what? He opened his eyes to the dark room. He registered movement on the adjacent bed. He took a look outside the window. The stars have shifted positions. It was late in the midnight.

Bang, bang, bang.

The series of knocks fully revived him from his sleepy state. He recognized the distinct sound of something hitting his heavy front door.

"Uhhhhggg... who in their right him would knock on our door at this time of night?" Tracy complained groggily.

Both kids got up from their beds and worked their way out their bedroom. In the torch lit hall, they could see their mother come out of her room as well, mumbling.

A sudden thought occurred to Ness that the visitors may not have good intentions, they may try to take their belonging or slay them. He therefore took a small knife from the dining area before heading to the front entrance, making up his mind to use his _Rockin'_ spell if it came to it. He felt the two ladies follow him.

The visitors knocked again, the booming sound reverberated through the cavernous house.

Ness made it to the front door, looking out the window beside it first. His front property was lit, meaning the visitors held torches. He could make out horses in the back. They were large, with brown saddles and red and gold tarps draped over their backs, a Sunflower design clearly visible on the side.

_Oh, no..._

"Ness? Who do you see? Are they hostile?"

Barely registering his mother's voice, Ness felt his heart sink into oblivion. They came way earlier than he expected.

A muffled voice rang out from behind the door. Crisp, but powerful. "Pardon the late intrusion, Noble Family of Tazmily, but we know you are standing behind this door right now. We are here on behalf of King Lucas of Nowhere Kingdom. We request an audience with you immediately, please comply."

Turning around and looking at the worried and shocked faces of his family was not what Ness needed right now. He had no choice, it was him against the representatives of the most powerful King in the land. He lifted the iron bar that locked his door, and slowly pulled.

_No, no please no...Not yet..._

Two men, one clad full armour, minus a helmet, and another wearing a red and gold formal attire with a black cape stood in front of him. Ness immediately recognized with a dull blow the one without armour as the limping Advisor that began this whole fiasco, the one who saw Ness lift that stupid flower with his magic. That same person was now speaking to him in a gentle, but commanding voice.

"Sir Ness, greetings. I believe you recognize me from our last meeting? I am Sir Duster, Royal Advisor to King Lucas himself and Leader of Infiltration Operations for the Kingdom of Nowhere's Royal forces. We were made aware of your abilities as a powerful unregistered spellcaster. We request you please come with us to discuss this matter immediately."


	6. Side Story: A New World

-Side story. These entail events that are not intimately connected with the plot, but give more understanding to the setting and characters. –

-01210-

Ness was dozing off in yet another Religious lecture in Tazmily Academy. School was always slow for him, especially classes like Religion and History. Big deal, it's not like he's learning anything knew. The almighty creator of everything called God, his son Jesus, good deeds lead to Heaven, sinning lead to Hell, thank the Lord daily for all he brought good to his life. That's probably what the Professor is droning on about. Whatever.

He looked around. People, adult and young, frail and strong, the most decorated of Knights and the smallest of kids all stood attentively at their personal podiums, listening with intent at the animated Professor talking about the Laws of the Land or something dumb like that.

Ness began to scribble on his parchment. He was not a bad artist, really. He does well creating accurate, 3 dimensional drawings of...well, anything, really. By the time he finished his absentminded doodle, his parchment sported a neat design of a cross, the very one that represented the fanatical religion of Catholicism that seemingly dominated the whole of Eagleland and the world.

"Sir Ness, would you be so kind as to share what you have been engrossing yourself with instead of listening to the lecture?"

Ness's head sprang up. He felt the eyes of every student in the classroom on him.

"Oh, uh, I was so fascinated by your lecture that I...I decided I couldn't hold in all my enthusiasm and drew the symbol of our great religion!" Ness held up the parchment, showing his picture of the cross, a nervous grin playing on his face under the scrutinizing glare of the Professor.

Said man was not amused.

"You are either hopelessly confused, or possess the drawing ability of a moron. In either case, the symbol of our great God is not the abominable art you present. Refrain from desecrating the symbol of our Lord and pay more attention to the lecture, less you wish to feel His wrath yourself."

The parchment Ness held up drooped at the Professor's reprimanding speech, effectively mirroring his feelings. He heard a few disapproving mutters as the rest of the class refocused on the lecture. Ness shrunk away, wanting the class to end, but at the same time curious at what kind of belief system the people of Nowhere Kingdom followed. Didn't Catholics dominate the world? What sort of other religion would there be?

The bell was so loud it vibrated the floor Ness stood on. Taking the signal, everyone, young and old, began to file out of the large classroom. Ness followed in the crowd, hoping to slink away with the large number of people, but saw the Professor give him one more look of disapproval. He felt his cheeks burn.

School was horrible. He didn't know anybody here, and abundance of large men made him feel insignificant. Ness sighed at the prospect of having to attend 3 times a calendar week. There was no persuading his mother when her mind was set though.

He felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned around to face another boy. He had neatly cut blonde hair, a few freckles, and dressed very tidily. But when Ness looked at his eyes...or rather, he couldn't, because they were blocked by two near opaque pieces of what seemed to be glass.

The boy spoke in a smooth and rather formal tone. "Good day. You are Sir Ness, I believe?"

Ness blinked. He was still getting over this guy's appearance and appropriate voice to match. "Uh, yes, I am. May I help you?"

"You may. I was in the lecture when you caught the unwanted attention of our Professor."

Ness groaned softly. He did not like where this was going. He did not want to sit through some random pompous brat's scolding about his actions in class. Ness felt like he could probably beat him in a fight, but he may have the support of-

"I was wondering if you could show me the design you procured earlier."

That he did not expect. The blonde boy wore no hostile expression, just one of meek interest. Ness took a few seconds to react. "Oh, umm, sure, just let me..."

He unfolded the parchment, which he had cramped in his leather pack he brought to school. He then showed the cross to the boy. The boy in turn leaned forward slightly, his eyebrows creasing a little, a hand coming up to adjust whatever was covering his eyes. He studied the picture with such intensity that Ness felt he would burn a hole through the parchment.

"That is an interesting design, but an unknown one to this land. Would you care to explain it to me, and why you would think it was the symbol of our Lord?"

Ness felt uneasy. The Catholic Church back in his homeland exiled and sometime executed those who do not submit under their regime. He was afraid the same would apply here for whatever other religion dominated this Kingdom.

"I...would rather not."

The blonde boy's feeling of disappointment was well hidden behind his neutral expression. "Alright then..."

For some strange reason, Ness felt a pang of guilt. This kid seemed civil enough, and seemingly just wanted to know more about his doodle. "W...well, would you do me a favour then, and please explain more about this land's beliefs? My family is new to this land." Ness said.

The boy chuckled. "It would be prudent to listen more carefully in class then, my friend. I am the last person one would go to for a religious sermon."

Ness blushed slightly. My friend. Took him long enough to make one in this Academy. "A succinct summary would do."

"I'll be glad to." The boy reached for the parchment with Ness's cross drawing. Ness gave it to him. He put it against a wall, took out a quill and dipped it in some ink, and drew a curious shape. A circle that was surrounded by a detached crescent, like a C with a small o at the middle. Ness tilted his head, looking at the new drawing. This boy was definitely a trained artist, the drawing was smooth and symmetrical.

"This," the blonde pointed with his quill, "is the symbol of our faith, Draconicism. The entity that is our God takes the form of a Dark Dragon, who exists as part of this Land, and keeps balance in our world.

"The inside circle represents the Sun, and the curve surrounding it is representative of our God, the Dragon. I believe it takes on the meaning of the Creator, which is the Dragon, protecting Life, which the Sun represents."

Having been conditioned to accept only Catholicism as the 'correct' faith, Ness can't help but feel this belief system is a bit farfetched, if not downright ridiculous. A nonexistent creature like a dragon, as the entity of God? Idiotic. But who was he to dismiss Draconicism? Ness personally was not even sure if God existed. If he did, why didn't he help those suffering through the war back home?

"But personally, I do not subscribe to such silly nonsense. I am willing to accept that most of this Kingdom's people blindly follow this faith, but unless some sort of proof of this God I can comprehend with my 5 senses come up, I would not follow them."

Ness was surprised at this declaration. He sounded so sure, so confident. He outright denounced the existence of the world's creator. He would so be guillotined back in Eagleland. Ness smirked. He was beginning to like this kid.

"Well, if so, why do you attend religion classes?"

The blonde shrugged. "It is good to see how other people think when it comes to religion. Although I am thinking of ceasing my attendance."

Just then, another boy, this one with spiky, brown hair, with matching eyes, an big grin, and a rather disheveled look to him came up to the blonde boy.

"There you are. We've got to get to the Blacksmith. ShopKeeper wouldn't like us to be late on our first week of apprenticeship there. Hey who's your new friend?"

The blonde looked at him, frowning a bit. "Oh dear, I've forgotten, no, I definitely would like to stay on his good side. This is Sir Ness, by the way. He is a newcomer to our Estate."

"Oh. Hi there."

"Hello."

The blonde turned back to Ness. "I must be off. But if you wish, you could come with us to our Blacksmith. I would like to know more about where you hail from, and maybe I can tell you more about Nowhere Kingdom in exchange."

Ness's eyes lit up. "Okay!"

"Excellent. My name's Jeffrey Andonuts, but do call me Jeff. This is Fuel, son of SiegeMaster Lighter of Nowhere Castle." The brown haired boy waved an excited hand at the mention of his name. "Well, let us depart then, so we may introduce you to the Kingdom's capital. I'm certain you have questions about us as well." Jeff adjusted the thick glass over his eyes consciously after saying that.

Ness happily tagged along with the two boys. In the back of his mind, he still missed his way of life back in his homeland, but right now, he was just glad he had finally begun to carve his niche into this new society.


	7. 6 The Pure Mage

Nowhere Kingdom is separated into two sovereignties by an exceedingly long mountain range, called the Dragon's Spine. The chain of towering mountains began just north of Tazmily Estate, and continued to stretch north to the unexplored frigid Arctic regions. This effectively split the Kingdom into an East and West province. This was the reason Nowhere Castle and Tazmily Estate were built at where it was, all travellers wishing to go from East to West or vice versa would have to pass Tazmily, making it effectively a vital checkpoint.

The terrain, although making it harder for communication within the Kingdom, was also what made Nowhere the strongest Kingdom in the area. Surrounding Kingdoms were forced to trespass into its territory if it wished to go from one side to the other, lest they risk trudging through the treacherous Dragon's Spine.

But the mountains themselves were by no means uninhabited. Aside from the small woodland creatures, wolves, and mammoths, on the southernmost 'Vertebrae' of the Dragon's Spine, overlooking Tazmily Estate, perched a structure the shape of a...seashell?

Light shone from the windows of this rather strange dwelling, and a rather odd conversation was happening inside.

"Oh, me oh my, where could she possibly have gone? It's not like Locria to just vanish without so much as a goodbye kiss!"

"You can't sense her either then?"

"Afraid not, dearie. It's like she just vanished off the face of the earth! How positively rude!"

"Now, now, let's not jump to any conclusions. She might be having a bit too much fun on her little exploring trip that she forgot to drop us a call! We'll wait for a few more days, and then see what happens okay?"

"Oh very well. But oh my, it seems you have visitors!"

"I dooooo? At this time of night? Well, Doria, be a sweetheart and let them in please."

-01210-

"Now, before you say anything, Sir Ness, let us just tell you that we are not here to forcefully recruit you into the Kingdom's Royal army. However, a spellcaster like yourself is a privilege to come by, and we are required to...assess your skills to ensure you do not become a danger to yourself and the people of Nowhere."

Ness had his mouth hanging open rather foolishly. This man, Sir Duster, had just addressed his biggest concern outright. This meant that he was made aware of it somehow.

"Now wait one moment!" came her rather indignant voice. Ness was not accustomed to hearing her talk in such a tone. "My son has not and would not cause any harm to anyone without provocation, and I shall not allow you to take him away, in the mid night no less, just so the Royal Family could-"

"I suggest you stay silent, woman." Immediate dislike of the armoured figure filled Ness. He had a square face with chiseled cheekbones, unruly brown hair, and Ness could tell he was a bulky figure under the silver chest plate he equipped. "A person such as yourself should not intrude your opinions into Royal affairs, and just stick to housework like women were meant-"

"Quite enough, Sir Isaac." Sir Duster's firm tone shut the Knight up. He looked at Ness and at a smaller, blonde girl who stood at the doorway, Tracy, he presumed. Both had a look of intense dislike etched on their faces, clear even in the relative darkness. Duster felt if he did not stop Isaac then, the children would have done so themselves.

The young mage was grateful, if not a bit embarrassed that his mom had defended him so quickly. He was not impressed with the choice of words the hunk of metal had spat at mother, and was inclined to downright refuse to cooperate with the two Royal representatives.

"Please excuse my friend's rather bashful behaviour. Now then, Sir Ness, I realize that you may oppose coming with us," the elegantly dressed Advisor turned a rueful eye to his companion Knight, who turned away expressionlessly, "but we are not giving you the choice on the matter. You shall come with us to be evaluated, and if you choose to resist, despite your impressive magical power, you will be taken down, even in the unlikely chance that you defeat us."

The tone this Duster person said all that in was so calm that he might as well have been striking up casual conversation about the weather. _I've just been read like a book. They're not giving me a choice, all the while making me look like an idiotic child. _Ness wondered to what extent was the Castle's knowledge about him and his family, or even any person they choose in the Kingdom. It was a rather frightening prospect.

But for now, it's unfortunately clear what he had to do.

"...Fine, I'll go with you."

"B-But Ness...!" Whatever Tracy had next in mind was brought to an immediate halt by a forceful glare from the armoured Sir Isaac. The girl backed away timidly. Duster immediately put a hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"Worry not, young Lady. You have my assurance that your brother shall return, unharmed, by the morn." Duster turned to Ness, "now then, would you prefer to ride on your own horse or with us?"

"...I'll ride Franklin." Ness went to the back, changed into more travel appropriate clothing, and returned soon with a young black horse. His two charges mounted their steeds as well.

"You are to bring my son home uninjured." The three riders turned to look at her. Ness felt a pang of guilt for making his mother look so helpless and worried. Sir Duster gave a small smile.

"My word to you. And before I forget," Duster took out a roll of parchment with his free hand, the other still holding a torch. He handed it to Ness's mother. "This is a new Law of the Land, the First Response Aggression Act. Please read over it, and cast your vote in 3 days' time. Now then, good night, Noble Family."

The two men's horses began to depart in a slow trot, Ness reluctantly following. He kept glancing back at his family who were still standing at the doorway, until they rounded a corner and he lost view of his house.

Immediately Ness began to feel self conscious. Although he was an average sized Noble child of his age with commendable sparring skills, he was dwarfed by the two men riding side by side in front of him. Even Franklin was small compared to the massive horses they rode.

Clip clop, clip clop.

He realized they were heading into town. The Castle was behind them.

"Umm. Sir...Duster...?"

The Advisor turned at his name. "Yes, Sir Ness?"

"Where are we headed?"

"To the...ah...evaluator's home, if you will. She lives in the mountains."

_In the mountains? She?_ "Well, shouldn't we be going faster?" The three were riding at a leisurely pace, almost walking speed. "The mountains are all the way out of town."

Duster smiled, his pointed mustache lifting along with the corners of his mouth. He slowed down until he was riding beside the young man. Isaac gave an audible scoff in the front.

"Any faster would gather unnecessary attention to our excursion. I was under the impression you had wanted to avoid such a thing."

Ness huffed at the remark, turning away. The town was rather dark, save the occasional torch and lit window, and patrolling LawKeepers. The light shone on the boy's obsidian hair.

Clip clop, clip clop.

"Sir Duster?"

"Just Duster is fine. There is no rank between us."

Ness was a bit surprised at this. But then again, this man has been nothing but pleasant the entire night. It almost made it difficult to dislike him.

"I thought that all mages like...myself, were conscripted into the Royal Forces. Unless that's your plan with me the whole time."

Duster smiled, despite the boy's bitter tone. "That would have proven to be true in the past. King Flint and his predecessors have all done so, because having a spellcaster is a great bonus to the standing army. However, King Lucas is very much a different person. He is more..."

"Lenient." Isaac supplied in his gruff voice, with a clear tone of disapproval.

"...not the word I was looking for, but I suppose, yes. He is not one to make any important decisions without word from both affected parties. Hence, the voting system. The very same would apply to you, Sir Ness. He would not force such an important decision, especially not on one so...young."

Ness did not reply, hiding the sense of relief washing over him like the ocean. He felt like this King Lucas has already done so much for him, and yet he still doesn't even know what he looks like.

Clip clop, clip clop.

The gates to Tazmily Estate were surprisingly already open, they usually remain closed during the night. Ness could see the mountains of the Dragon's Spine towering over the landscape. A road leading out of Tazmily forked to the East and West provinces.

He heard Sir Duster talking to someone. Turning around, he saw two LawKeepers, full in chain mail and wielding spears, and in between then, a familiar figure dressed in white, with a belt holding up silver pants, and sandals. The broomstick mark on his face still vaguely recognizable.

"...opened the gates to rid this bother from our Estate." One of the LawKeepers was saying. He turned and saw Ness. "Ah, Sir Ness! He was the one who subdued him."

Violet eyes met with the brown ones of the Dalaamian. A look of anger returned to the prisoner's face.

Ness addressed the LawKeepers, "has this man revealed his reason for his actions back when he attacked me?" _And got embarrassed by me in a fight? _He thought with a smirk.

"Yes, Sir Ness. He claims that his son was taken from him by Noblemen back in Dalaam when he could not pay tariffs. He claims to have vowed to never forgive any Noble from that day forth."

"Let's keep moving!" Isaac called back, riding towards the mountain range. Duster followed. Ness began to follow too, but had his eyes on the two guards and their prisoner as they made to throw him out of Tazmily.

"Wait." The LawKeepers froze at the Noble boy's command. "Provide him with some food and a hunting knife before you let him go."

The guards' looks of surprise were illuminated by the torches hung on Tazmily's perimeter walls. They looked at their prisoner, then at each other, before back to Ness on his horse. "Right away."

One of them disappeared into a nearby stone structure. Ness did not pause to look at whatever reaction the Dalaamian farmer may have had. He urged Franklin after his distancing charges.

Clip clop, clip clop.

"We shall set our horses here. We will make the rest of the way on foot.

The wooden house sat at the base of the mountains, encircled by a forest. Ness recalls seeing the home somewhere. A slim man with greying hair came out to greet them, and Ness immediately smiled when he saw him carrying a large piece of lumber over his right shoulder.

"Sir Lighter!"

"Ness, good to see you, kid! What brings you out here so late in the night?"

"He's coming with us to see _her._" Isaac said as he dismounted and tied his large stallion to a nearby tree. Duster did the same, although he dismounted gingerly, landing on his left foot.

Lighter turned to see them. "Ah! Isaac, Duster! It's good to see you are doing well."

"Likewise SiegeMaster." Duster returned the warm welcome.

"Hah, not anymore, my friends. That position is reserved to my son now."

"And he is doing wonderfully. You should be proud of him."

Ness blinked. Fuel's a SiegeMaster? He learned from the Estate's Academy that the position was responsible for coordinating...well, sieges on strongholds. He directed the trebuchets and catapults and other war machines, and positioned the Knights. It is a demanding task, but for a 15 year old like Fuel? Why hasn't he told Ness? Wait, the wood cutting, lumber carrying Lighter was a former SiegeMaster?

"We are going to visit _her_, and would like for you to look after our horses until our return."

"You are taking Ness with you?" Lighter's eyes fell on the black haired young man. Ness turned his gaze away from Lighter's observing look.

"We are. It would be appreciated if you could keep this to yourself until otherwise told."

"...very well. Your rides are safe with me. You should get going."

"We will." Duster began to hobble towards a path leading up the mountain. "Come, Sir Ness."

"...good night, Lighter."

"Safe journeys, Ness."

Step, tmp, step, tmp.

Isaac's plate legs made soft clangs against the mountain rock as he lead the way along a narrow, well concealed path. Ness followed closely, while Duster brought up the rear.

They were quite high on the mountain now. Ness looked around. Tazmily was clearly visible as a conglomeration of lights, and the shadow of the Castle barely visible in the background. The Estate was quite large, even from this standpoint. To the West, he could make out a few lights quite far in the distance, probably the nearest settlement. He imagined the Tanetane Kingdom and Minch Kingdom lay beyond those lights, way in the horizon. To the East, any possible light source was hidden by a large forest. Off in the distance would be the bordering Sunshine and Murasaki Estates, and beyond them, Osohe and Dalaam Kingdom. Stars clouded the night sky, and the full moon lit everything in dim silver.

"Quite a view, isn't it, kid?"

Said kid looked at Sir Isaac, and nodded curtly in reply.

Ness looked back at Duster, who was still holding a torch, and he smiled back at the boy. To say the least Ness was surprised that the man was able to make it this far on mountain terrain with his obvious leg handicap. When walking, his right leg seems stiff and slightly bent out of shape, but the Advisor was able to easily keep up on the rough ground.

And then the ground gave away.

Ness yelped as he felt the gravel loosen and fall away, and he was falling with it, down a sheer drop that would probably outright kill him. He felt a rush of adrenaline, his heart beat frantically.

Someone grabbed his arm, and he stopped falling. Ness looked down, watching the rocks tumble down, his heart flopping around in his chest. He looked up, and saw that Duster had grabbed his arm, but he was dangling in the air too. It took a moment for Ness to see that Duster's other arm was grabbed onto a piece of metal that was certainly not there before, stuck into the mountain rock, and shaped like a handle.

Ness realized it was a rung for wall ladders. And that Duster probably was the one who stuck it into the rock and saved him. And that he did so in less than a heartbeat.

"Ness, I'm going to swing you over to Sir Isaac, get ready." Isaac, who had walked past the unstable rock before it gave, stood waiting on the other side.

"Uhh...right." Ness felt Duster begin to swing from side to side, keeping a firm hold on the boy's arm. Before long, Ness felt his foot touch ground again, and Sir Isaac was helping him off the edge. Duster followed suit, swinging, he let go of the piece of metal and landed on his left foot.

The three of them looked at the path. It was sheared off completely, Duster's abandoned torch lying on the ground on the other side.

"We'll worry about the return trip after we are finished with our business." Duster said in a surprisingly dull tone, as if he never just experienced a near death scenario.

Ness gawked at him. "H-how did you manage to...the wall step thing...and..."

"It was merely part of my skill set," Duster shrugged indifferently. He raised his black traveling cloak, revealing a small side bag which carried more of the pieces of metal and a few other peculiar items. "That was a wall staple that I used, quite useful in scaling stone walls should I be assigned to infiltrate a structure."

Ness pictured the man in front of him in such a situation. Under the cover of darkness, he sneaks up to a Castle wall, starts stapling himself a way over the walls, and undoes the Castle's guard force from the inside out. Nowhere Kingdom's forces were extremely impressive. What else could he be capable of?

"We should keep moving."

And they did, Sir Isaac taking more time to check his step as he lead the trio deep into the mountain.

Step tmp, step tmp.

It was the most peculiar thing he had ever laid eyes on. It looked to be a house, complete with windows and a rather elegant door, but it was a shocking pink, and shaped like a conic seashell. Ness just stood there gaping, and Sir Isaac gave a hearty laugh.

"That was my first reaction when I saw this place as well, kid."

"Come, Ness." Duster said. "Sir Isaac, would you like to come with us?"

"No, I'll stand guard here."

"Well enough. Ness, come."

Ness finally urged himself to move from his spot, and followed the limping Duster to the strange dwelling's door. Before Duster could knock, they heard a conversation on the other side.

"...a few more days, and then see what happens okay?" The voice was muffled, but clear enough to be able to decipher words. Ness thought it was very strange, whoever just spoke used a definite lady like tone, but it almost sounded forced, as if its natural voice would have been much deeper.

"Oh very well. But oh my, it seems you have visitors!" This one was completely different. It was low, more baritone than anything Ness had ever heard, than any man he had ever met. Yet it still carried a womanish hue.

"I dooooo? At this time of night? Well, Doria, be a sweetheart and let them in please." The first voice sang out.

Footsteps approached the door. Ness couldn't help a feeling of apprehension. The voices suggested that whatever was behind the door would not be something of the ordinary.

The door swung open, and light briefly illuminated the surroundings before it was snuffed by a large figure blocking the entranceway.

Ness could only stare. The figure was large, wide enough to fill the doorway, and taller than Duster, and was wearing a shockingly short purple dress that had straps running over broad shoulders. Matching _purple hair...? _ made up in a ponytail sparkled under a purple hat. What seemed to be glasses, but pitch black, covered the eyes. It wouldn't have been so much of a stunning scene if the figure was a woman, but no. Leg hair, chest hair, facial hair, square jaw and deep voice, it was like a middle aged man had blasphemously dressed and decorated himself into a woman's attire.

And when it spoke, Ness could almost feel the air around him vibrate with the deep voice. "Oh, visitors? Is that you Dustie-pie?"

"Umm...pleasant night to you too Lady Doria-aaa!" He was pulled into a crushing hug that lifted him clear off his feet. Ness covered his mouth, trying to suppress his mirth, but let a snicker go by.

The person named Doria immediately turned her..._it is a her, right?..._attention to Ness. Letting go of Duster, who fell to the ground with a thud, Doria walked up to Ness, towering over the young mage, who had never felt more out of place in his life. She bent over to examine the boy, who backed up a step or two.

"Oh my, you are just the most adorable little child!" Ness thought the way Doria placed her hands on her cheeks and wagged her waist when talking was beyond ridiculous.

"Oh Doria? Don't be rude now, invite our guests inside! The night air must be absolutely chilling!" The other voice floated out.

"Of course, but I do must be heading off in any case! So I shall leave you in the care of Ionia then!"

As maniacal as it is, Ness thought the way the now departing Doria conversed was extremely fitting of her appearance.

Duster turned her. "Ah yes, Doria, the path up to this humble abode has crumbled. We would be in your debt if you could so kindly as to fix it so we wouldn't have to brave the cliff edge on our way down."

"Oh of course! Anything for Dustie-pie, this cute little mage, and...Oh is that Isaac? Isaac!"

_Hold on, how did she come to know that I was a mage? _Ness's gaze followed Doria as she pranced over to Isaac and lifted the Knight up in the air with a crushing hug from behind.

"Please come in!"

"This way please, Sir Ness."

"...Oh. Yes, of course." Taking Duster's advice, he stepped into the rather out of place looking house. Immediately the cool night time atmosphere was replaced by a soothing warm one. An anomaly, considering there was no fireplace.

Surveying the house, Ness was under the impression that it was larger inside than the outside made it seem. The interior was a blinding light blue, which was odd considering he had never heard of any building material of that colour. A very delicate bed stood against a wall, and a table and chair set stood at the back.

"Oh, my, what do we have here?"

_At least this one looks a bit more...of the norm..._ This one wasn't as generously large as Doria, but bore similar disturbing features of a chimera of man and woman. A full body green dress, mowed facial hair, full lips, short _pink hair?_ Erm..._her _frame was much more regular.

"Sir, Ness, this is Lady Ionia, Pure Mage of the Southern Dragon's Spine mountain range."

Duster's introduction snapped Ness out of his trance. "Oh, err...pleasure to make your acquaintance...Lady Ionia..." _Pure Mage...?_

"Hmm...The Royal Family's certainly brought an interesting one this time..." Ionia wagged her way towards Ness, and bent down to study him, placing her palm on her chin. Ness stood rooted to the spot as she circled around him, meticulously taking in every detail.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Ness ventured out with a question. "Umm, Lady Ionia..."

"Just Ionia is fine, dearie."

"Oh, okay, Ionia, Sir Duster titled you Pure Mage, can you please elaborate?"

"Oh well of course!" Ionia stepped back, as if to let Ness see her properly. "A Pure Mage is a magic user, like yourself, but we've obtained complete inner balance and peace, allowing us to fully realize and utilize our magical abilities."

"In other words, Ionia, and her 6 companions strewn across this Land, are exceedingly powerful spellcasters, so much so that they've gained a much longer lifespan than normal humans." Duster supplied. "I believe you have been around for...400 solar revolutions?"

"A bit longer than that, Dustie, no need to flatter me!" Ionia giggled. "But correct, in essentials. You may have also noticed that despite being addressed as a lady, I am a rather indistinguishable gender, no?"

Nodding, Ness admits that it would be rather hard to not notice.

"Well, a part of achieving the perfect inner balance is surrendering any gender differences. We Pure Mages have no gender, but you humanfolk can call us girls if you wish!"

"..." Looking around, there is blatant evidence of Ionia's magical power everywhere. Her home, the colours, the inexplicable warmth inside, her...unnatural appearance...

"Yes, all of this you see in my home is the product of one spell or another."

...the uncomforting ability to guess his thoughts, everything adds up. Who knew that such an unorthodox and powerful being lived not a day's travel outside of Ness's home. She looks so young, yet she's seen over 400 years of change.

"...it must be amazing to watch all the change around you happen, Ionia."

"Ah it is absolutely magnificent!" She said, dramatically looking into the distance. "Did you know that Nowhere Kingdom did not even exist when I was born into this world? Why, I believe that it was born when a small community settled here after their ship drifted here."

Ness stiffened.

"Yes, I remember it so well too. They built a small village on the peninsula, and as the people began to have children and explore, the village became a much livelier townhood, and eventually an Estate. They followed the example of the Osohe people and made the wisest and most powerful of the Estate the King, and built a beautiful castle too! Oh I remember Aeolia and I visited the Castle too, and helped come up with the most perfect name, Nowhere Kingdom! A place that does not identify with any others, the epitome of neutrality, welcoming people of all places to settle! Of course, this brought a little heat from Dalaam, but oh well, humans and their silly little strifes, what are you going to do?

"But I do seem to be rambling. Nessie, are you quite with us?"

Ionia looked at the handsome boy. He was spacing out, off in his own world of thoughts.

'_Ness you shouldn't be spacing out cutie!'_

"Whoaaa!" Ness jumped. It was the strangest experience, he heard Ionia talk to him, but it was like she invaded his mind and communicated directly to him. It was like hearing without using ears. He looked apprehensively at the giggling Ionia.

"Oh don't worry Ness, it's just a little trick you can do when you've had as much practice with the magical arts as me! Usually I prefer talking though, it takes quite a bit of energy to communicate like that. A useful little tidbit on occasion."

It disturbed him, to say the least. Ness always thought his mind was the one safe haven where his own self can exist unperturbed, but apparently even it is not safe from magic.

"...so does that mean you can read into others' minds?"

"Oh no, of course not, silly! A mind is not a book to be leisurely opened and extracted from! Anyone with some semblance of willpower would be easily able to shut out attempts. Communicating with the mind only works with the cooperation of both parties!"

"Ahem." The Pure Mage and the Novice mage both turned their heads to Duster. "As enthrallingly informative as you are being, Lady Ionia, I would appreciate your shift of focus to our immediate request. King Lucas wishes for an analysis of Sir Ness's potential as a spellcaster, and I have promised his mother that I would bring him back before the dawning of the sun."

"Oh that Lucas, he hasn't been as much fun as when I first met him! Ah well, humans do tend to stress easily," Ness felt that Ionia talks about humans as if they were beneath herself. It may be true, but nonetheless a bit rude. He wondered if Duster felt the same.

"But I suppose," Ionia continued. "I can tell you straight off that this one is quite a bit different from the others Lukie has brought up here...hmm..."

Under scrutiny, Ness suddenly became very conscious of his own powers. His healing spell, as well as his inexplicably named _Rockin' _spell, both hummed within his mind, as if preparing themselves to be used by their young master.

"...a demonstration is in order!" Ionia chirped, clapping her hands together. "You have some power that I have never seen before, and I would like for you to show me firsthand!"

"Erm...alright then..."

Squealing, Ionia pushed the boy out the door and into the dark, chilling night. Duster followed silently. Sir Isaac looked up from his perch near the cliff side.

Ness felt the weight of the 3 people staring at him. "...Uhh, do I just..."

"Yes, by all means, show us what you can do so far." Ionia encouraged in her high pitched voice.

"...sure...umm..." Ness raised a palm face up. He closed his eyes, and shortly after the surrounding mountain is lit by a small green orb that he conjured in his palm.

Looking around, he saw Ionia with a gleeful look on her manly face, Duster raised his large curved eyebrows, but remained neutral faced otherwise. Isaac was also expressionless.

"...this is a healing spell...erm...I've only used it on minor injuries, so I don't know the full extent of its usefulness..." He felt like he was taking an examination at school.

"Wonderful, wonderful! But that's not all, is it?"

"...No, but I'm not sure if I should show the other one..."

He had good reason to hesitate. He was not completely confident in his control over _Rockin' ,_and considering the raw destructive power that it possesses, he feared he would take down this side of the mountain along with everybody here.

"It's quite alright, dearie, if anything goes awry, I'll fix it in a jiff!"

"..."

"Oh, come on now, don't make us doubt your skills!"

That worked to push Ness over to their side. He was the last one to want to come off as incompetent. He decided to aim the spell at the sky to minimize potential damage.

"Here goes..." Ness took a deep breath. Closed his eyes. Collected himself, focused his energy. He felt the familiar build up of power, a no longer painful pressure. He raised a hand straight up to the heavens, and a shower of colours enveloped the raised hand. He focused the power to that hand. The whole process felt extremely natural, as if he has done this hundreds of times before. Will a finalizing yell, he released the power, and the blinding flash of red, yellow and blue shot off towards the stars, giving off light unmatched by anything else in the night sky.

-01210-

He looked out the window of his private quarters within the Nowhere Castle. The mountains were barely visible in the horizon. His nightmares had chased him out of another night's sleep.

They should have arrived by now. Ionia should be talking with the Novice mage at this time.

Immediately a familiar sensation wafted over him.

_It's him. He's using his powers..._

His eyes immediately darted to a glimmer of light, painfully visible on the dark mountain backdrop. He saw it shoot up into the sky, flashing red, yellow and blue.

_Rockin'_

He followed the light's course until it dissipated into the sky. He ran a hand over his unruly blonde hair.

_What else are you capable of, Ness?_

-01210-

A tall young man with black hair tied into a ponytail stood on the balcony of his Royal Palace. He was deep in thought. His plans must be put into work soon. Before the wretched King Lucas could react.

His gaze followed the mountain range south. The mountains were one of his favourite places to meditate. It conveyed a sense of peace few other places could match.

A flashing light, barely visible, infinitesimally small, but bright nonetheless caught his attention. He watched it rise, slow from his point of view, as he was very far away, but he knew it was travelling quickly towards the heavens. He did not need to see it up close to know it was magic. He followed the light's course until it dissipated into the sky.

He saw it originated from the southernmost mountain of the Dragon's Spine. Just south of which sat Nowhere Kingdom's most valuable Stronghold.

_Thou art an affront to my Forefathers, King Lucas, thine Kingdom shall fall at our unforgiving onslaught._

-01210-

A lean, pink haired young woman stood on the terrace of her ancient Castle with her gloved hands behind her back. The night was one true escape from the monotony of Royal life.

The moon was bright in the clear sky, casting shadows over the battlements and Guards that manned them. She sighed.

A bright light, flashing red, blue and yellow, rose quickly over the mountain range to the star studded heavens. She recognized it as magic, but none she had ever seen before. It did not look to be Ice, or Fire, and definitely not her ultimate technique. She followed the light's course until it dissipated into the sky.

_What are you up to, Lucas? What are you thinking right now..._

-01210-

A short, but rather large person with greying hair covering his eyes stood at the window of his room. Another sleepless night, not that it was anything out of the ordinary. His plans would be put into action soon, and the fools would never expect it. After all, what's the miniscule Minch Kingdom going to do to a dominating one like Nowhere?

A small dot of light shot up into the night sky. He traced the source to the southernmost mountain of the Dragon's Spine.

_Isn't that where Fassad said that stupid Pure Mage, Ionia, lived?_

He followed the light's course until it dissipated into the sky.

_A nice show, to signal the beginning of my rise, I suppose. Hahaha!_

-01210-

"Oh my..."

Ness saw that Ionia had put a hand over her open mouth, still staring at the spot where his spell finally dissipated. In a way, he was rather glad she was finally speechless.

He saw Duster was watching him, his small eyes wide. Isaac was doing the same. No one moved, no one said a word.

"...Umm, so..."

"That was beautiful! Stunning! A power I have not seen the likes of since many a years ago!" Ionia joyously sang.

"...so what was that?" Isaac gruffly said.

"That," Ionia answered, "was a spell of pure destructive energy! Oh how exciting! Not even I am capable of such power and damage! Ooh how I wish I could've seen what kind of chaos it could cause!"

Ness felt it odd that she was critiquing his attack power as if it were a piece of art.

"...I've an idea." Duster said, recovering. "Sir Ness, you've left quite a large impact in a clearing back in Tazmily Estate. Toppled trees, annihilated rocks, scars on the ground. It would be safe to assume that was your doing then?"

Ness rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"No matter. Quite impressive for someone of your stature."

"Indeed it is!" Ionia pranced over to Ness and hugged the boy tightly. "What do you call it?"

Ness remembered that he had no idea what _Rockin's _significance was, and figured now was as good a time to inquire about it as any.

"...The name that my mind associated this with is called _Rockin',_ but I've not a clue what the word means."

"_Rockin' _you say? How robust! Suits the spell's character perfectly!" Ionia commented shrilly. "Well if you are worried that your spell has no meaningful name, don't dwell on it! Spell names originate from the inner mind, from your heart, almost. It may not have a meaning, but as long as it represents what you are when you cast the spell, it matters not!"

Ness thought about this. What did he feel when he casts the spell? Power, energy, a sense of excitement, and a feeling of peace that he only gets when listening to...music?

"Well then, Lady Ionia, what is you final verdict on this young man?"

The young man turned his attention back to Duster. He almost wanted to hear the assessment, like waiting for the results of his examination at school.

Ionia looked at Ness, all smiles. "He is a wonderful boy, such a good heart, with a shrewd mind to match! His capability as a spellcaster, well, you would be hard pressed to find his limit! So much power, potential. Why it almost reminds me of back years ago when-"

"Ionia, enough." Ness was startled at the finality and seriousness of Duster's tone. He was not angry, but it was the first time Ness heard him talk with such authority.

"Of course, silly me." Ionia never batted an eye, almost amused at the change of tone.

_What in the Lord's name is happening? What are they keeping form me?_

"Ness is destined for greatness. His powers will coincide with the destiny of this Land. He will be involved in the lives of many great people." Ionia finalized.

"...Very well then. We thank you for sharing your wisdom with us." Duster said. "Now then, let us depart ourselves from Lady Ionia's presence."

Isaac rose from his spot, and began to scout out their descent down the mountain. Duster went over to Ness, and placed a hand on his shoulder, leading him away from the seashell house.

"Ooo, hold on one bit!" Ionia pranced back into her home, and returned soon after with an unlit torch. She then touched the top with two fingers. Ness gasped. The top immediately lit with a roaring fire, and the surroundings were once again lit. _Magic really is something..._

"That should help you down! Doria should've fixed your path by now!"

"Our deepest thanks, Lady Ionia. Have a pleasant night."

"Bye Dustie-pie! Isaac! And goodbye little Ness!" She giggled, waving a hand as the three trekked down the path.

For some reason, Ness felt a bit sad when he finally saw the shell house disappear from view. He had only met Ionia for a short time, why has she left such an impression on him? Aside from the looks, of course.

"Duster."

"Yes, Sir Ness?"

"...just Ness is fine. There is no rank between us."

"Ha, very clever! Yes Ness?"

"What do you think of Ionia?"

"Well, she certainly etches her presence in your mind, does she not?"

Ness laughed. "Indeed."

"She, and her 6 friends, all of whom are Pure Mages like herself, emanate an aura of kindness and sincerity, making most living being attract to them and like them. They really are wonderful beings."

Ness saw a wall staple still firmly stabbed into the rock. He realized that the path was indeed fixed by the large Doria. The three crossed without incident.

During the lengthy return trip, Ness saw the Eastern horizon brighten slowly as the sun made to rise for another day. Patrons of Tazmily have begun to come out of their shelters for the new day. The trio stopped in front of Ness's quiet home.

Ness dismounted Franklin, and saw Duster do the same, hobbling over to him.

"So."

"Nothing more to be said." Duster smiled. "I trust Ionia's judgement, and based on the little time I have spent with you, young Ness, I can affirm that you are indeed destined for greatness."

Ness breathed in.

"Which is why it is not in my place, nor King Lucas's to force you from your life, and into our Royal Forces."

Ness exhaled.

"You are a unique individual, Ness. Find your own destiny. Perhaps it will one day interlink with ours, but for now, I bid you adieu. We must report back to King Lucas. Have some rest, it has been a long night."

At that, the black haired boy truly realized how drained he was, deprived of a night of sleep. "Thank you, Duster. You too, Sir Isaac." Ness looked around the Advisor to the Knight, still mounted on his horse. Isaac retorted with a nod.

"And Ness, take this." Duster reached into his cloak, momentarily revealing his pack of tools and wall staples that he carried. He brought out a small circular badge of gold, emblazoned with a magnificent sunflower, a large ruby making up the flower's core. Ness held it. It was reasonably heavy, but he saw it was intricate in design.

"This is the Crest of the King. You may use it to enter the Castle. You will also be granted most privileges for the Castle's Archives, should you need to use it."

Blinking, Ness immediately recalled Tracy and the case of the nameless slain boy he saw 3 years ago. He also realized that it was because of this that he was discovered by Duster as a mage in the first place.

"We must be off. Good...morning to you, Ness." He looked up and saw Duster already mounted on his large stallion, waving a hand.

Ness waved back. "Good morning, Advisor, and Knight."

He watched them ride off, and disappear behind a stone house. He led Franklin back to his stable.

_I feel like most Noble children of my age have not seen and experienced what amounts to what I have..._Ness though with a smile. Dispelled of the confusion and fright he felt earlier on that night and throughout the week, he possessed newfound confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

But for now, sleep.

-21012-

A/N: If you haven't figured it out by now, I do not own Earthbound or Mother 3. If I did I would be a very happy person.

I keep Author's Notes to a minimum, I think I will do one every 7 or so chapters, just so you don't think a robot from the future with no capacity for emotion is writing this story. I do read and appreciate reviews. Any questions regarding the story will be answered as the story goes on. Hopefully.

This chapter is unusually long, mostly because I needed to cover quite a bit of ground before moving on with the main story. Trust me, actual things will happen. Eventually.

Thank you for reading!


	8. 7 The Castle  in the Middle of Nowhere

King Porky compares the Kingdom of Nowhere to a pathetic turtle. A turtle is a slothful, harmless, infuriatingly slow and innocent little animal, blissfully ignorant of the colossal world around it, slowly trudging along. But despite how stupid a turtle was, it had a hard, difficult to break shell. And whenever it felt threatened by the outside world that it was so blissfully ignorant of, it would just mindlessly retreat into its protective shell, and be able to survive any danger it faced.

It was almost annoying really. A cunning fox could spend days of its time futilely trying to break into that stupid turtle's shell, and its efforts would be wasted not because it was outsmarted, but out equipped. King Lucas and his subordinates sat in that shell. They knew that if any foxes tried to pry them out, their shell would hold.

But even turtles could not hold out against something that will attack them from the inside. A disease would easily slip under the shell, infect the ignorant little animal without it ever knowing, and kill it slowly from under its trusted protection.

King Porky smiled as he watched Fassad and his caravan convoy out of the Castle yard and down the path south to Tazmily Peninsula. He would infect this turtle, and when the time is right, flush the disease ridden animal out of its shell. And the fox would finally reap its reward.

-01210-

_He was hiding in an outcropping of bushes. The twigs and leaves scratched and stung his face and arms. But he barely paid attention to them, his wide, purple eyes were set on the scene playing out in front of him. _

_Two figures. One exuberantly young, and quite small compared to the other, who was an intimidating large shape. _

_For some reason, they were hazy. He can't see clearly what they wore. Their faces, why can't he recall their faces? _

_They were duelling. Flashes of silver as their weapons gleamed in the sunlight. _

_How is a boy of his apparent age capable of keeping on par with that large man?_

_And then everything changed. Seemingly out of nowhere, the smaller figure was blasted back, his weapon flailing through the air, landing out of reach. _

_Magic. That was magic that he just used, he vividly remembers._

_The blurry faced boy tries to fight back. He conjured a similar spell that the larger man used, but to nowhere near the same effect._

_He could sense it was over. The man went up to the fallen young figure, raised his sword, which shined brightly under the sun, and plunged the blade down into the young boy's heart._

_A sickening cry, flash of red._

_And he could almost feel it himself. The unendurable pain on his chest, where the heart was. He muffled a scream by biting on his tongue, still hiding in the bushes. _

_And then a flash of light, and he could make out a face among that dazzling light. _

_Orange hair, green eyes. _

_And it was gone in an instant. _

_And now, the man approached where he hid in the bushes. His instincts screamed at him to flee, and so he did..._

_..._

Ness jerked open his eyes, then closed them again as the sun's glare burned at them. He wisely opened his eyes slowly this time, settling for a squint as he let his violet pools adjust to the brightness.

He looked left to the adjoining bed. Tracy was not there. It took him a few moments to conclude that she was not supposed to be. It was likely the middle of the day now. He had slept through the morn to make up for his adventurous night.

Ness sighed and lay on his bed. He had not had a dream about that in a very long time. There had been a point in his life where his sleep would be plagued with nothing but visions of the two unidentified figures fighting, which always ended with the larger slaying the unnamed boy. He thought that he was long over it.

Orange hair. Green eyes.

Ness was surprised. His memory held very vague recollections of what the two figures looked like. He could easily recall that the now deceased boy had orange hair, because it was such an unorthodox colour. But he was certain that he did not know the boy had green eyes. There was no way he was close enough from where he was hiding to make out his eye colour.

So why had such a clear and assertive image appeared in his dream?

Ness tried to recall. He saw a flash of light, in which a face was hidden. But he could not grasp anything else but orange hair and green eyes. His memory of the dream began to decay the longer he stood awake.

The Castle Archives...

He abruptly jerked upright and hopped off his bed. He changed himself into his usual pale yellow and blue stripe cotton shirt, and flipped his feathered bowl hat onto his head with magic. He picked up the golden Crest of the King Sir Duster gave him.

He will visit Nowhere Castle, and browse through its Archive to see what he could find. Tracy would be happy. Too bad she had to work at the Escargot Food Storage today._ If the records of the Nowhere Castle can't find anything, then I've no idea how I'm to find out anything else about him._

-01210-

"Why do I need to come with you?"

"This is my first time to the inside of Nowhere Castle. You traverse there on a regular basis. I need a guide."

"...heh, well I suppose I could keep you in check. I can't have you running all over the place."

"And what do you mean by that, Fuel?"

"You're a rather...energetic character, Ness. The Castle is not a place for you to run about. You'd probably end up disrupting one thing or another."

"Have more faith in me, SiegeMaster."

"..."

"...heh."

"...how did you find out my position? I'm certain I've not told you."

"Well, a lot of things were revealed to me during my excursion last night."

"So it seems. I hope they weren't too hard on you."

"...you knew."

"Of course. I am a SiegeMaster after all."

"I have a few questions that I would like you to answer, if you would be so kind, Fuel."

"...oh dear. If Sir Ness talketh in such a formal tone, I shant deny him any information."

"Then why did you not tell me you held such an astoundingly high position of power within Nowhere Kingdom?"

"...please understand, Ness. It is a safety precaution. If I publicly unveiled my position, there would be a chance that this information would leak out to potential enemies of the Kingdom. I would risk assassination, and worse, my friends and family could come under danger."

"...then did you not trust me that I would withhold this information if you told me?"

"That's certainly not the reason. I cannot make exceptions to doctrine. Even my closest of friends."

"...does Jeff know?"

"He found out through his father, Weaponsmaster Andonuts."

"...I still feel a bit betrayed, knowing you've kept me in the dark about this."

"...you've no right to lecture me about withholding secrets, Sir Ness, Mage of Tazmily."

"Ah. This brings me to: how did you know about me being a mage? How do you know so much about magic anyways?"

"Word of advice, if you don't want anyone to find out you're a mage, but are still insistent upon floating your furniture, make sure you board up your windows."

"Oh...erm, haha...that probably wasn't very shrewd of me."

"No, it wasn't. As for how I know so much about the magical arts, well, as a SiegeMaster, I am obligated to learn tactics that incorporate mages, so knowing the basics of spellcasting goes hand in hand. It also helps to have a good friend of mine who's also a mage."

"...me?"

"Someone else."

"...who else do you know that's a mage?"

"...perhaps you'll meet him soon."

"How secretive of you."

"Heh, heh. So have you just recently discovered your powers or have you been aware of them for some time now?"

"Quite a while. I've known since I was still living back at my old homeland. In fact my magical power was one of many reasons why we fled Eagleland."

"How so?"

"Quite a long story, I'll share at my leisure."

"Fair enough."

"..."

"Jeff told me that you've never even laid eyes on the King yet."

"...no I haven't."

"But you've resided in this Estate, not spitting distance from the Castle for 4 years now. How have you managed to-"

"I'm not one for Royal affairs or politics. I used to evade anything to do with them because it was boring."

"That sounds like what you do for every subject at the Academy."

"_That sounds like what you do for every subject at nya nya nya. _Heavens, Fuel, you sound just like Ma."

"That was a horrid impression of my voice. Mine is one on par with the Angels'..."

"Okay Fuel..."

"Coupled with my stunning looks, 'tis a wonder how the Dark Dragon managed to create one such as myself to live with..."

"Enough. My God are all Castle dwellers so narcissistic as you?"

"That means little coming from one who's ego is enough to share with all in the Kingdom."

"Hey, I can't help how great I am."

"Thus you prove my point."

"...you know, I've wondered what the effects of my _Rockin' _spell do to a human. Care to be my test subject?"

"Hah, I'll pass up your generous offer."

"Too bad."

"..."

"..."

"Do you possess any particular reason for visiting Nowhere Castle? Or are you there for a mere tour?"

"Ah. I wish to browse through the Archives. Sir Duster said this Crest grants me access to most of its resources..."

"That it does."

"...excellent. Hopefully I will be able to find what I search for."

"The Archives are massive. It will certainly take days to browse through its entirety. I'll arrange for RecordsMaster Leder to help you with whatever you need."

"Thanks, friend. I just wish..."

"Yes?"

"..."

"Ness? Oh..."

-01210-

"The Dragon's Light Mercenaries shall meet you some time later today, my Lord. They are preparing the last of their members now."

"Great. Hope things go well."

"Judging by how things usually play out my Lord, it is unlikely."

"Yeah, you're probably right. As always. It's one of those things that I'm not sure whether I should like or dislike about you, Duster."

"Ha ha, I'll let you work out that impasse yourself."

"While I have the time, I'm going to head to the Archives. I need to learn more about Nowhere's historical relations with Dalaam and Osohe. Best be prepared for an inevitable conflict."

-01210-

"Fuel! Oh Lord...Fuel, wake yourself!"

Ness was not completely certain what had just transpired. Did he really just cause his friend to fall asleep? Then again, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that magic is able to do that as well.

"FUEL!"

"H-huh? Wha..."

"Oh good. Thank God."

Fuel sprang up, brown eyes wide at his friend's concerned face. For a moment they just stared at each other.

During their bickering, Ness had felt a familiar feeling of energy build up. It was only natural to assume the boy was learning a new spell. Not wanting to hold it in and experience the accompanying pain, Ness decided to test the spell out then and there. He had felt that it wouldn't be something so powerful and damaging as _Rockin', _so he risked it with Fuel right beside him.

It was a very curious sensation for Ness. He felt his whole raised arm vibrate, and emit a high pitched hum. A sort of wave, comparable to those created when a pebble is dropped in water, emitted from his palms, and expanded outwards.

And then he had heard his brown haired friend drop with a thud.

Fuel finally broke into a smile. Ness closed his eyes and sighed.

"Well, I guess I should be thankful it wasn't as dangerous and destructive as your other spell." Fuel quirked, surprisingly energetic and unfazed for someone who had just been forced asleep

"Yeah, I was rather afraid I had killed you at first."

"Don't worry, you couldn't do that if you tried."

Ness stuck out his tongue at him. "So what was it like for you?"

"It wasn't anything too strange, just a sudden lethargic feeling, loss of energy. I heard a rather sharp tone in my head. And I guess I dropped out soon after." Fuel recalled.

Ness nodded. This spell would certainly be useful against people he doesn't see eye to eye with, like that Dalaamian farmer.

"Well, a name came to mind when using that."

"_Hypnosis._"

"_Hypnosis._"

They said it at the same time. Ness was pleasantly surprised. "How did you..."

Fuel just laughed. "_Hypnosis _is actually a well known spell, at least from what I gather. Puts enemies to sleep. You can imagine how that would be advantageous in battle."

"Huh. You don't say..." Ness wondered just how varied the magical arts are. What _can't_ they do?

Fuel began to walk again. "Come on now, the Castle still awaits, unless you'd rather go home and celebrate learning a new spell."

Ness followed. "yeah, yeah, I get it, I'm a bit full of myself, you don't need play that joke to death."

Across the still lowered drawbridge, a short stroll through the front gardens, and the two young Nobles were at the massive wood and iron front gates of Nowhere Castle. Last time Ness stood in front of these doors he, along with his sister, were turned away. This time would be different. His hand tightened around the King's Crest Sir Duster gave him.

Fuel nonchalantly walked up to the two massive, heavily armoured, and dangerously equipped guards. Ness stifled a laugh as he saw them stand at attention in front of a much smaller Fuel.

"Good day to you, SiegeMaster." They sounded strangely muffled and hollow under their full helmets.

"Likewise. Please, relax. There is no need for this every time I require entry to the Castle." Fuel turned around to see Ness rooted a few steps away. He motioned for the boy to come over. "This is my friend, Sir Ness. He shall accompany me into the Castle today."

The two guards turned their heads to Sir Ness. _I can't wait until I grow up and get larger so I don't have to feel so awkward when bigger people look down at me, _he thought.

"Visitors to the Castle are disallowed unless specified otherwise by King Lucas." The guard gruffed.

Ness held out the gold Crest in his palm. The ruby in the centre shone in the midday sun. The guard examined it closely.

"Very well then, Sir Ness. Retain this Crest throughout your visit and after you leave. It is a privilege, even for Nobles, to be allowed entrance to the Castle and the Archive contents."

Ness nodded. "Thank you, Sir."

The guard took a few steps away from the large doors. Then he looked up. "Open!"

Tilting his head upwards, Ness realized there were more armour clad guards stationed on the towers and battlements. With a groan, the doors slowly slid back just enough to allow people to pass.

"Good day to you, Sir Ness, SiegeMaster."

"Thank you." Fuel walked briskly through the doorway, Ness tagging along closely.

Ness looked around, hearing the heavy gates shut with a loud thud behind him. Space between the outer walls and the inner Palace was a premium. Ness could see an alignment of trebuchets and catapults parked on both sides. Large stones and other equipment lay beside them. Horses, more than he'd ever seen at one place, lined the stables against the walls. As he expected, there were many servants, individually unidentifiable by the same grey clothing they wore, working all around the yard.

In front of him were a set of arched doors that lead inside of an enormous and beautiful Palace. The stone walls were intricately designed, well rounded, and lined with windows with flowers on the sills. The Palace narrowed as it reached into the sky, and many more battlements manned with guards made up the roofs. Certainly no expense was spared in architecture for this exquisite icon of the Nowhere Kingdom, and home of the Royal family.

"Any questions?" Ness turned to a rather smug looking Fuel, who was apparently satisfied that the Castle has already made his friend speechless.

"None. Please, oh great SiegeMaster of Nowhere, show me more."

Grabbing one of the door handles, which Ness noticed were carved to the shape of the Draconicism faith's symbol, Fuel pulled open one of the arch doors and lead Ness into a grand hall. Ness breathed in.

The interior was profoundly delicate and incredible in every sense. From the meticulously carved stairwells, walls and ceiling, to the chandelier lighting the hall up with this numerous candles, to the portraits and doorways and array of guards that lined the walls. He had not seen something so breathtaking since his old home Eagleland. In every sense, it was a place where one would expect a King to reside.

"It really is a bit much, isn't it?" Fuel quipped.

"It's a marvel. I can very well imagine his Highness living here." Ness said, now studying some of the portraits along the walls.

"Well, it's more a show of status than anything else, really. Quite unnecessarily extravagant, even King Lucas has admitted this himself."

"I definitely wouldn't mind spending a day with Nana here."

And all of a sudden, Ness felt a rush of longing and guilt for the lady that he has become oh so fond of. Even though it's only been less than a day since he last saw the beautiful, curious blonde girl, he has missed her sorely among all the twists and turns that happened in his life's path. She is still painfully oblivious to Ness's magical abilities, and he had more or less shaken up their relationship by calling her Paula, and then abruptly abandoned her during their last meeting. Ness made it a duty to visit her and expound what has been happening to him.

Fuel stood and watched as Ness rather comically stopped in the middle of the hall and took a trip into his own thoughts, probably regarding his lady companion Nana. _He's certainly been thinking a lot lately, not very like the Ness I've known. _"Ness."

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"It's alright, sympathy and understanding are just some of Lady Nana's best qualities. You'll most definitely be forgiven as long as you take the time to visit."

"Right, of course. Thanks friend."

"Now then, to the Archives?"

"If you would be so kind as to lead the way."

"Keep talking like that and I'll be left wondering what happened to the impulsive Ness I know." Fuel laughed as he led into a tall hallway illuminated by fire light from hanging torches.

They stopped in front of a very intriguing door. It was very tall, but also quite narrow, making it look even taller, and not unlike the blade of a sword. Torches hung on both sides, and on a stone tablet to the right carved: 'Nowhere Kingdom Archive Records.'

Fuel pulled the door handle. Ness saw that only a bottom portion of the towering door actually moved to open, enough for a regular sized person to commute through. "Fuel is there some reason for the odd door size?"

"Yes there is. You'll find out soon enough. Right this way."

The Archives, like every room in the Nowhere Castle, was massive, easily dwarfing public libraries in the Estate. Rows of shelves and book cases filled the entire space, containing the records of all pertaining to the history and development of Nowhere Kingdom. 400 years worth of information.

Shouldn't be too hard to find the name of some orange haired kid, right?

Fuel was walking into the maze of book shelves. Ness followed tightly to not get lost.

"Ah, there you are." Fuel stopped.

Ness looked to where his friend was addressing. He saw the head of a man above a row of books, his body on a stepladder on the opposite aisle hidden by the shelf. The man wore a bowl hat not unlike Ness's, but it was pure black, and the rim was wider. He saw that like Jeff, this man wore glasses over his eyes, but they were smaller and round. He had a thin face and a white moustache.

"Sir Ness, this is RecordsMaster Leder, Keeper of the Nowhere Castle Archives, as well as court scribe and event recorder for the King himself."

Leder tipped his hat after Fuel's introduction. Ness thought he looked like a pleasant old man.

"Ness, Sir Leder is a man of few words. Very few. As in I have never actually heard him talk yet. And I'm in here fairly often." Fuel went on. Ness raised his eyebrows. "It does not make him any less competent, however. He is a respected man within the Kingdom."

Leder smiled slightly.

"I need to go check on a few things elsewhere, Ness. I'll be back in a short while. Meanwhile, scour the Archives to your heart's content. If you have any inquiries, specify them to Sir Leder here."

"Will do. Thanks again, Fuel."

"Anytime." The young brown haired man bound for the door in a trot.

Ness turned back to Leder, whose head over the shelf is still studying him.

"Erm, yes. Hello, Sir Leder, I'm Sir Ness, and I would like to scour for information about missing persons or unidentified beings within the Nowhere Kingdom, please."

Leder nodded slowly, and his head began to glide to the end of the aisle. Ness followed, and gaped.

_And here I thought I have seen every extraordinary thing in the Kingdom already. _

Leder had not been riding on a stepladder. Leder did not need to. The average height of a full grown man probably reached only his knees. The RecordsMaster was an absolute giant. Unnaturally tall. It was a wonder how they managed to tailor a black formal shirt and pants to fit his size. His height has made his body and limbs seem thin in comparison, but Ness saw they were probably thicker than average. He looked like a beanstalk.

_The tall front doors._

He was gesturing for Ness to follow. The young mage snapped out of his thoughts and trailed after Leder. Each step the man took amounted to around 5 of Ness's.

They stopped in front of a specific aisle. Leder raised a welcoming arm to it, indicating this was where Ness needed to go. The boy scanned the contents, and saw they contained paintings of people, along with leather bound books of their records. Good of a place to start as any.

"Thank you, Sir Leder." The man remained silent, tipped his black hat again, and stalked off.

Ness saw that the aisle was very large. He wasted no time and dove into the nearest book in his search for the orange haired and green eyed mystery boy.

-01210-

He saw the door to the Archives were already open. That was probably Fuel, as he caught a glimpse of his SiegeMaster disappear through another entranceway. Aside from himself, Fuel was the only one who regulars the Archives, hard at work studying advanced tactics of siege and warfare to try to live up to his father's legacy.

Stepping through the doors, he took in the familiar scent of wood and parchment. He caught sight of Leder's black hat moving across the cavernous room.

_Where to find Osohe-Nowhere relations..._ He scratched the blonde hair on top of his head. He headed off to the general direction where he last remembered searching at.

He suddenly stopped.

It wasn't so much the fact that there was another person in the Archives that startled him, but the fact that he could sense the presence of another person.

As far as he knew, unless he was keened to pinpoint the presence of people, which he wasn't, only other mages could announce their presence like that.

He started quickly towards the source.

-01210-

It hasn't even been that long of a time, but Ness was already growing bored and frustrated with his lack of results. Tracy always said that he had the attention span of a squirrel. He was proving his sister correct.

Discouraged, Ness became pessimistic. _It's entirely possible that the kid was just a run of the mill peasant, with no historic significance whatsoever. But he was accomplished with a blade, and he knew magic from what I remember. That has to have caught the attention of somebody, right? Then again, I evaded discovery as a mage for 4 years...Damn this is getting more ridiculous the more I think about it._

Deciding to take a break before renewing his search, Ness moved to an adjacent aisle, and began skimming through the material there. The books here were mostly very thick, which would usually be plenty enough to scare a curious Ness away.

But one title caught his eye: 'Advanced Spellcasting'

He pulled the heavy novel from its rest on the shelf, and flipped through. It instantly mesmerized him. It contained information of just about any magic spell he could think of. He recognized some of them: Fire, Freeze, Thunder. Basic offensive Elemental magic. There were intricate instructions on how to cast and power up these. Ness somehow doubted _Rockin' _would be in the index.

He flipped through and stopped to read over some highly advanced spells: Increase Strength, Decrease Resistance. Shielding, Countering. A lot of them seemed very useful, but require a rather high energy expenditure and skill level. Ness wondered if he could learn them eventually.

Then he came across a rather eye catching part, labeled God Spells. Immediately interested, he read on, learning that God Spells are incredibly advanced and very energy costly, but they grant an ability that treads upon the domain of Godhood. He flipped the page, and briefly went over some of them. Timedistort, Chronos, Stormsummon, Possession. Those certainly sounded like abilities only God would have. Then some terms he did not have remote knowledge of. Teleportation, whatever that means. Magicantation. Sure, why not. Necromancy...?

He decided to replace the book, and remember to come back at a later time to read further. It certainly got him thinking, though. God Spells...

He then removed a book called 'The Will of the Dark Dragon'. From it he learned that the people of Nowhere Kingdom believed a lot of rather strange things. Rain is apparently the blood of the Dark Dragon God. The Kingdom shall prosper so long as each family has a child born during daylight. The Ruling Castle must be the tallest structure in the Kingdom. The Kingdom shall fall if the Royal Family were to bear twins, as the fight for the crown between them would result in the destruction of Nowhere. Et cetera. Ness put the book back, bored.

He moved back to his original aisle, slightly reinvigorated, and began to search through the texts again. There was a lot of stuff, it would take him a while to go through everyth-

_SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME. _

Ness jerked his head around, surprised that he came to such a conclusion, but even more surprised that he was right. Someone stood at the end of the aisle, looking at him.

A short silent standoff, then the person started towards Ness, and stopped a few steps away. Ness saw that it was a boy, probably around his age at that.

The foremost thing Ness found his eyes travelling to was his hair. It was the most unique style he had ever seen. The shiny blond hair curled up at the front, and stood like that. The rest covered his head like a mop.

Scanning the rest of him, Ness saw that he wore a yellow and red striped article of clothing, with thin, white fur at the collar. He also had blueish short pants, similar to his own, coupled with blue shoes. Eyes travelling to his face, Ness saw young, rounded but sharpening features of a young man like himself, but what garnered the most attention were his large eyes. They were a brilliant colour of deep blue that invoked the wisdom of a much older person.

And right now, they were looking straight at him.

"Uh...good day..." Ness offered.

The handsome blonde boy smiled gently. Ness saw that this made him look almost angelic.

"Good day to you too. Sorry if I startled you, I'm not accustomed to having others in the Archives, aside from good old Leder, of course." His voice was smooth, slightly lower tone than Ness's.

"Oh, don't worry, I guess I was a bit too engrossed in my own little search. I'm Sir Ness, by the way."

"Sir Ness, well it's a pleasure to meet you." Came his warm response.

Hoping to have received a name, Ness disappointedly looked at his blonde counterpart, who was now browsing through the same stuff he was just searching over himself.

"So what were you looking for, Sir Ness?"

"Oh, just Ness is fine. I am just working on a small personal case of a nameless person."

"Any luck so far then?"

"Not yet, but it's a large place."

"Alright." The boy looked at him, and Ness found himself under the scrutiny of those blue orbs again. "I've not seen you around before. Is this your first visit to the Castle?"

"Yes. King Lucas gave me a Crest that granted me access."

"Really now? I think that you snuck in."

Ness blinked at this accusation. "I did no such thing. This place is too well guarded anyhow."

The boy was still smiling brightly. "The guards make asses of themselves all the time. They're not the sharpest bunch. Who is to say you didn't sneak past them or trick them?"

_Are the guards really that incompetent? _"Well, I haven't. I'm a legitimate guest of the King."

"Really? You seem like a scrawny Noble kid to me. Nothing too special."

Having struck a number of nerves in Ness already, the black haired boy was about ready to show him the Crest before shoving it down his throat. "You really should be quiet now." He reached in his pocket for the golden Crest.

"Okay, don't get too excited. I believe you!" The blonde held up his hands dramatically.

Ness glared. "Why would you assume something like that anyways?"

"No good reason, just wanted to see how you'd react."

"And was my reaction to your expectations, you idiot?"

"More or less. But hey, I'm sorry if I got you worked up over it."

The kid is still perpetuating that same happy smile he wore since they met, and for some reason, Ness couldn't stay angry at him. He folded his arms and smirked back.

"No worries. Not many people can get me worked up like that."

The blonde folded his arms as well, tilting his head slightly to one side. "Oh really? I've got the impression you possess a rather short tolerance for teasing."

"Well, you've got the wrong impression then." Ness closed the distance between them, and walked around the boy, studying him like Ionia had done to him. Even though Ness was decently tall among those his age, he saw, with mild annoyance, that the kid was slightly taller.

Apparently his feeling of mild annoyance did not go unnoticed, as the blonde's smile turned into a smirk. "If it makes you feel better, I'm a bit above average height for my age."

Ness stepped back, and gave a half hearted scowl. "Well, I've got the impression that you are a stuck up, pampered Noble who thinks he is God's gift just because he works in the Castle." Ness ginned. "Am I close enough?"

If the other boy was offended, he did not show in the least. He chuckled. "Well, I certainly work in the Castle, but I'll have to get back to you about the other two. That's quite brutal for a first impression."

"Fair enough. I suppose I've met people worse than you."

"Ha ha, okay then."

They heard footsteps resounding on the smooth stone floor. Soon after, Fuel turned a corner and ran up to the pair. He stared at the two of them for a while. Brown eyes met blue and violet ones. Fuel broke into a toothy grin.

"I was wondering where you've run off to, couldn't find you in your quarters." Fuel addressed the blonde.

"Yes well, I've been having a rather pleasant conversation with Sir Ness here."

At that, Fuel and the blonde both turned to Ness, looking at him with amused expressions. Ness had the distinct feeling he was being left out of something. The two definitely had a pre-existing relationship.

"Well, it was pleasant, until your friend here decided to accuse me of being a sneak." Ness made sure to address Fuel.

The brown haired boy laughed. "Did you really? Well, you two seem to have gotten along great. See, I told you Ness would get along great with you." He said to the _still_ smiling blonde.

At Fuel's mention, Ness realized that he indeed was comfortable around the new face. It was something he couldn't quite place. He was drawn in by the handsome boy's charisma. It sure helped that he hasn't stopped smiling yet.

"What's with the smile? You've yet to drop that smile since I met you." Ness pointed out.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, I do not smile nearly as much regularly. Fuel even calls me a mood killer at times." Fuel nodded. "I guess it's just you, Sir Ness, there's something about you I like, I suppose. I've definitely not felt this energetic in a long time."

As pathetic as it sounded, his compliment made Ness feel fuzzy and happy on the inside. "Well, you're lucky. If it weren't for that stupid smile, I would've had to knock some respect into you."

"I highly doubt you would win in a fight against him, Ness, as good a fighter as you are." Fuel laughed.

Ness narrowed his eyes at the blonde. He didn't look so tough, if anything, he came off as a weak little child.

"Ness would you like a tour of the Castle, or do you want to stay and continue with whatever you were doing?" Fuel offered.

A tour sounded more than inviting, considering he probably did more reading in the last stretch of time than he had his entire life. Ness stretched. "Yeah, that sounds welcoming. Thanks."

"No problem." Fuel made towards the entrance. Ness followed him. The blonde followed Ness.

Ness turned around. "Have you nothing better to do?"

"No, actually. I'm quite bored, might as well tag along with you two."

"Ugh. Fine." Ness said in mock exasperation. In truth he did not mind his company at all.

The trio travelled through the large Castle Palace, Fuel jabbering away. Ness soon learned that having a guide was for the best, as the vast network of hallways, rooms and stairwells was sure to overwhelm first timers. He saw everything from guards' private rooms to Dining Halls. Kitchens to Royal Courts to Lavatories. He learned from Fuel that invaders have been known to crawl up lavatory chutes to infiltrate the Castle, a clever, but laughably disgusting tactic.

There was no lack of stairs, definitely. Ness was panting by the time they reached the top, but was rewarded with a stunning view of the entire Tazmily Estate. Standing over the battlements, he could recognize the smoking dot that was Jeff's Blacksmith, and could even make out his mother plant seeds for their personal garden. The mountains in the background completed the beautiful image.

Something that has not gone unnoticed by Ness was that every person they passed, be it a lowly servant or a decorated Knight, they stopped, moved to the side to allow a path for the trio, and bowed when they walked past. _Fuel's SiegeMaster position must be more important and respected than I thought. _

The blonde boy had stayed quiet the entire tour, opting to observe his friend Fuel and Ness chat.

"And this is my favourite room, the Armoury." Fuel announced, stepping up to a metal gate. Ness peered through the checkered gate to see a large quantity of melee weapons, all neatly aligned on wooden stands. "Give me a moment, outsiders are disallowed in here."

Fuel went into the Armoury, and came out with two shortswords. He delivered one to Ness handle first.

"Give these a try, I'd wager they're not too unlike the training swords you use to spar with."

Ness held the weapon. It was a bit heavier than he was used to, but he could still swing it around with ease and precision. He turned the blade sideways, and saw that it was impeccably sharp.

"These were made by Jeff, actually." Fuel said, twirling his own shortsword. The three began to walk again. Fuel and the blonde boy lead up front, Ness trailing the back.

"Ah. Well he does his work commendably. I can definitely use a blade like this." Ness commented as they passed a pair of Knights, who split to either side of the hall and bowed.

"You're acquainted with Sir Jeffrey?"

Ness turned his head. This was the first time he heard the blonde boy talk since the Archives.

"Yes, he's actually my best friend."

"Oh. Interesting."

Ness stopped. "What's interesting?"

"I truthfully didn't expect Jeff to be so well acquainted with someone so...brash."

Ness smirked. "Why is that now?"

The blonde smiled back. "Oh, I thought you would be frustrated with a best friend who's so much smarter than you."

"Oh really?" Grinning, Ness raised his sword up to the blonde's neck in a playful threat, stopping a few centimetres short. The boy did not give any ground, still smiling. "Now, now, I think that you should reconsider that attitude of yours, or-"

"_Ness I don't think you should do that." _Fuel sounded uncharacteristically frantic, his face no longer gleeful. Ness frowned. Why would he suddenly-

Two large blades formed an X infinitesimally close to Ness's neck.

Ness completely froze, sword still raised to the blonde boy's neck, afraid any movement at all would result in his head detaching from his body. He looked at Fuel, who had an apprehensive expression, brown eyes wide.

The blonde boy, however, bore no expression, his deep blue eyes looking at him.

"Drop your weapon."

The command came in a low voice behind him. One of the blade wielders. Ness complied, loosening his grip on the shortsword, letting it clang on the floor at the blonde boy's feet.

Nothing else happened. Time seemed to slow down. Ness could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He could not form rational thought.

And then... "Stand down."

Ness heard a faint 'shing' sound as the two blades were removed from in front of his neck. He gaped at the blonde boy who issued the command.

"H-how did you..."

"Isn't it obvious, Ness?"

He had no idea what Fuel meant by that. The blonde still held an impassive face, large blue eyes staring right at him. Two Royal Knights just heeded his order. But that doesn't make sense. Why didn't Fuel issue the order to remove the blades? All the guards they passed had bowed down to him. Unless it wasn't Fuel they were bowing to, it was... Ness's purple eyes widened at the realization. _Oh there is no way..._

The blonde saw Ness's eyes widen, and the corner of his mouth curved up.

"I've yet to formally introduce myself to you, Sir Ness. My name is Lucas. I am the 23rd King of the Nowhere Kingdom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."


	9. 8 Lucas

_A parade of 7 Knights rode slowly through Tazmily Estate, finally heading back to the Nowhere Castle after a full 3 months of leave. 3 months of nothing but travelling, fighting, and restoring order. A very lengthy and tiring journey._

_But a very rewarding one as well. They have assured the survival of their homeland. Nowhere Kingdom would live to thrive in the future. The Dalaamians lay broken and uncoordinated from their failed sieges of Murasaki and Sunshine. Rebellion has been quelled in all settlements across the Kingdom. _

_As they made through the Estate, riding high and proud on their horses, they were being hailed as heroes by the citizens of Tazmily, who turned up in droves and lined the streets to cheer and bow before the shining Knights. But the loudest of cheers were reserved for a small figure riding in the middle of the parade of Knights._

_The figure was that of an 11 year old boy. He wore a maroon travel cloak over a yellow and red striped cotton shirt that bore many scratches and tears and dirt stains. His blonde hair was untidy, and did not possess the sheen that it usually had. His youthful face was faded and dull, his deep blue eyes tired and were not fully open. It was almost a cruel sight, to see such a young boy in such a worn state. But nonetheless, the blonde child put on a weak smile and waved gently at the roars of approval directed towards him. _

_The young boy and his escort of Knights finally put the Estate behind them and entered the Castle grounds. Every single guard was present to receive the contingency. They stood at attention, lining the battlements, the walls, the doors. A few of them carried trumpets and drums, which they ceremoniously blew when the armoured soldiers and the boy arrived. _

_Dismounting the horses, the 7 Knights and the 11 year old immediately made their way up the many floors of the Palace, until they reached a massive hall lined with thick columns and large flags bearing the Sunflower. At the end of the hall was a large, delicate chair, matted with red fur and lined with gold armrests. The Throne Room. _

_The boy walked up and stood in front of the chair, and turned around to face the Knights. All 7 heavily armoured fighters lined up side by side in front of him. They stood at attention. The boy began to address each of them in his gentle voice. _

"_Sir Oliver," The leftmost Knight bowed. "Sir Thomas," As did the one to his immediate right. "Sir Isaac." And the next one over. "Sir Duster." The Knight at the centre of the line bowed. "Sir Abbot." The next one over did the same. "Sir Edward." As did the next. "Sir Reginald." The rightmost Knight bowed down._

_The boy looked over to the right. "Sir Lighter." A man in a red cloak standing beside the Throne nodded. A young child beside him grinned excitedly at the blonde boy, who nodded lightly back. He turned back to the 7 Knights who were kneeled in front of him._

"_I thank each and every one of you for your individual displays of commendable bravery and leadership in the face of both the enemy, and friends. I thank each and every one of you for standing beside me in the darkest moments of our wonderful Kingdom, and for your unwavering loyalty through it all. For risking your lives to war against the vile threats to Nowhere and her people. It has been a quite a journey, my friends."_

"_It has been an unequivocal honour for all of us to serve under your orders, and to be beside you as you brought this land back out of the Devil's grasp, my Lord." Sir Duster said, his powerful voice echoing through the hall. _

_All 7 Knights then simultaneously unsheathed their swords and held them upright, blade pointed down on the floor, in front of them. "Our will is to serve. Your will is our command." They chanted as one._

_The boy watched them with an impassive expression. His hands together behind his back. _

"_I shall now succeed my father as the King of this land. I will follow his will to bestow prosperity and safety to all who live in the Kingdom. Will you support me so long as I am King, and follow me down the path towards the uncertain, but promising future?"_

"_Even to our dying breath." The Knights replied in perfect unison, their harmonious voices amplified through the room. "All hail..."_

-01210-

"...King Lucas?"

King Lucas nodded. "That would be me."

Ness was beyond shocked. "...King_..._Lucas?"

"That would be me."

"...but...you're around my age, are you not?"

"If you are the age of 14, then yes, I am."

Ness stared, shook his head, and stared again. "..._King_...Lucas?"

Lucas sighed. "Is that all you're capable of spouting?"

Fuel chucked from beside him. "This would be rather sad if it weren't so entertaining. People's reactions to seeing the King firsthand never gets old."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Your infantile mind is so easily entertained. How you manage your duties as a supreme Commander of my armies is beyond me."

"Well, your Highness, how a coddled and hopelessly dependent child like yourself managed to snake his way up to King is beyond me."

"...it hasn't been as fun stupefying you with words ever since you learned to formulate clever retorts."

"That's the general idea, my friend. But for now, you should attend to a more immediate matter."

Fuel and Lucas turned back to the Ness statue, his face carved into a shocked look. King Lucas addressed the two Knights standing by behind the black haired boy. "Leave us, please."

They nodded, and clanked off in their heavy plate armour.

"Ness. Sir Ness are you with us?"

He most certainly wasn't.

When a person interprets some subject in his own way, he would arrogantly go on to live his whole life based on that mental image he has created for himself. But when the drastically different truth comes to shatter that illusion, it would be akin to telling that person everything he believes in was a lie.

For Ness, everything made sense for his humble life as a Noble in Tazmily Estate when he thought the King watching over him was a large, wise, _grown_ man. And then Lucas comes along in all his skinny, 14 year old glory. Suddenly a lot more questions are popping up in Ness's life.

"Ness!"

Ness turned on King Lucas. "So you've been the monarch for this Kingdom for the past 3 years?"

A nod. "I have."

Ness frowned. "How have you managed such a feat? A King does not just sit idly by and watch."

King Lucas folded his arms. "It's no easy task. It is incredibly draining and pressuring."

"Oh. Is that why you implemented the voting system? Because you are too spineless to carry the ramifications of your own decisions?" Ness accused.

"Ness..." Fuel started.

"If I had never put forth the voting system I could not guarantee the satisfaction of the majority population with each order I issue." King Lucas coolly countered. "It is unfortunate that you think I had done so out of cowardice."

"But at the same time you are tilting the votes in your favour." Ness's volume was rising. "You use your massive army to 'persuade' the people to bend to your will. They are living in constant fear of your legions of toy Knights!"

"That is a completely baseless accusation." The young King remained impressively calm. "Nowhere's exceptional force will only deploy in the best interests of the citizens."

"Then you have been cooped up in your Castle for too long! Even Jeff has said people carry fear of your forces, and I can't blame them, especially considering they go to people's homes in the dead of night and take children away from their families to conscript them into your Royal army!"

Without warning, a sharp flash of emotion coursed through Ness's mind. He had no idea what caused it or what exact emotion it was supposed to be, but it immediately cooled his hot head down. He turned a guilty gaze to the young King of Nowhere, whose face betrayed no weakness.

"Ness." Fuel interjected. "I know that you aren't the most level headed of people, but you have to know your place. Lucas is the Crown of the Kingdom, you've no right to talk like that to him."

Ness deflated, feeling shameful. "My apologies, my Lord. I...I just need some time to adj-"

"Adjust, I understand." Lucas said kindly. "If I were to take a shrewd guess, I'd assume that your mental image of the King is leagues away from a 14 year old?"

"...Yes my Lord." Ness mumbled. He really needed to stop being so readable. "I suppose the shock carried into unrequited anger. Please accept my apologies for speaking out of turn and in such an accusing and harsh manner."

"Only if you would stop talking like that."

Ness looked up. The charismatic smile was back on King Lucas's face.

"From what I've gathered from Sir Duster and this Royal Fool," Lucas gestured to Fuel, who put on a pouty face. Ness laughed. "And the little time I've spent with you, I can confidently say that you are one of the most genuine beings I've had the fortune to meet."

Lucas stepped forward and held out his hand. Ness was pleasantly surprised by this gesture directed at him by the most powerful person in the Kingdom.

"So please, there's no need to talk in with such forced formality. Just call me Lucas. That is what I go by when speaking to all my friends."

It took a while for Ness to register Lucas's invitation. He took the King's hand and grasped, grinning wide, feeling on top of the world.

"If you two are able to do away with the bonding before I vomit, let's continue the tour." Fuel said, sticking out his tongue and pointing a finger in his mouth, making a fake retching sound as he started down the stone corridor again.

Chuckling, Lucas prodded his foot under the shortsword Ness dropped, and with a flick, tossed it in the air and skillfully grabbed it by the handle. He handed it back to Ness. "Shall we?" He said, turning to follow Fuel.

Ness grabbed the weapon. "Let's"

3 pairs of footsteps echoed along the hallway.

"So Ness," Lucas started. "What you said earlier, about me...err...abducting children from their homes to conscript them into my army. Were you referring to yourself?"

"Umm..." Ness flushed, recalling his harsh words. "Yeah, I was. Unless there are other cases you're not telling me about."

Lucas put his hands behind his head. "Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad was it? All I did was make you go see Ionia for an analysis. I haven't pushed you to be a part of my forces."

"Yeah. Thanks for not doing that..." Ness surmised. "So you know that I have magical powers."

"I do, and it seems that in the week or so since I found out, you've become more proficient with them."

"I have, I suppose." Ness started chuckling.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, Nobleman?"

"Nothing..." Ness started to slash his shortsword expertly in front of him, twirling the blade around. Watching him, it was almost hard to imagine Ness was a person who slinks back at the mention of war. "...well actually, in a previous conversation with Jeff, we discussed the circumstance. I said that were I to be forced into an army, I wouldn't have minded too much being under your command."

"Really now?" The blonde's face showed genuine surprise. "Why would that be?"

"Well, Jeff had alluded that you are an exceptional warrior in your own right, he said you drove back the invasions of Murasaki and Sunshine 3 years ago..."

Lucas's face fell rather rapidly. He once again bore that annoying expressionless feature he used when he wanted to hide his true thoughts. Ness couldn't read anything off his face, but in the back of his mind, he somehow knew what Lucas was feeling. A strangely forlorn and longing emotion.

"Those battles are events that I'd rather not go into detail about." Lucas stated in a monotone voice. "Especially my participation."

All that did was pique Ness's curiosity, although in his tact, he did not press further.

"In all honesty, I am surprised you brought up the subject." Lucas continued. "Was I wrong to assume you shy away from conversations about war and such?"

And all that did was pique Ness's memories of Eagleland. In what he believes to be an utterly pointless war effort, he saw his homeland get ravaged, his friends separated. And even killed...

"You weren't. I'd still much rather avoid the topic."

Lucas, in his tact, did not press further.

Walking around a corner, they ran into the all too familiar moustache of Sir Duster. Ness looked up at the Advisor, who was wearing his signature red and gold. Duster looked back down at Ness, who was smiling under his feathered hat.

"Ah, Ness. I did not expect you to make such an immediate trip to the Castle! Miss me already?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Duster."

Duster chuckled, his pointy moustache quivering up and down. He turned to King Lucas and straightened out his posture the best he can with his victimized right leg.

"My Lord. I see you have met up with the young mage. Is he every bit to your expectations?"

"I've yet to determine." Lucas answered, glancing at the black hair.

"Well then, I'm to inform you that the Dragon's Light Mercenaries have assembled, and await to present themselves to you. I advise you ready yourself."

"Right." Lucas turned to Fuel. "If you would be so kind to escort Ness to the Throne room, I shall meet up with you there."

Which means the King wants them to be present during his meeting with the Mercenaries. Ness is dimly aware of the existence of warriors who make a living by selling their reputable skills to the highest payer. Although he did not expect Royalty like Lucas to partake in this as well. Then again, he felt like he was learning everything about the Nowhere Kingdom in the past week or so.

Fuel nodded. "I shall need to meet up with WeaponsMaster Andonuts afterwards, though, so I will not be joining you for the duration of your meeting. Sorry." He added apologetically.

"No matter. Although I better not hear that you've run off with Lady Angie and just used that as an excuse to skive the meeting."

"Ha, I won't. Now you best prepare, my Lord."

"I shall see you in a bit, Ness." Lucas waved gently before departing after Duster.

Ness waved back. It was hard to see someone like Lucas to be the Ruler of a Kingdom. Ness was still accustoming himself to that fact. Sure, his speech is formal, his mannerisms very befit of a Royal, but everything else doesn't seem to fit. Especially the smile. Lucas had one of the most gentle and warming smiles he had ever seen, next to maybe his mother and sister. He couldn't bring himself to put that smile on his image of a powerful King.

"This way please."

Ness trotted after Fuel. Now that he thought about it, it was rather hard to see the rambunctious and excitable Fuel as a SiegeMaster, who must remain calm under pressure, whose mind must be that of a chess expert. Ness shook his head, genuinely surprised that the highest positions within the Kingdom are reserved for 14 year old children.

"Fuel."

"Yes."

"King Lucas is a spellcaster, is he not?"

Fuel turned to look at his friend. "You figured that out much quicker than I thought. What gave it away?"

"Quite a lot of things, now that I think about it." Ness said, retracing the events of his day at the Castle. "Back in the Archives, I registered that someone was looking at me without sensing them. It was a similar sensation to when I was meeting with Ionia last night, when she was studying me."

Ness sighed. "I also experienced emotions that did not feel like mine surge in my head when talking to King Lucas. It must've been his, and I somehow picked up on them. I wonder if all mages share this kind of mental connection. It's quite stimulating."

"Well, talk to Lucas about it, I'm sure he's willing to hear your thoughts." Fuel encouraged helpfully.

"I plan to." It certainly made a lot of sense that Lucas was a magic user. If magic is the epitome of granting the improbable, then King Lucas's miraculous victories at Murasaki and Sunshine made all the more sense.

Ness looked forward to having that conversation. He had a lot to ask about magical powers. Both Lucas's and his own.

Walking up to a small doorway, they relinquished their shortswords at the request of two guards, and walked into one of the largest and most majestic places Ness has ever seen.

Thick columns, each engraved in a unique design, lined the sides, each holding a delicate torch. Enormous flags of red and gold, each sporting a magnificent Sunflower design, were draped vertically on the walls. Ness saw they had entered through a side door. The main doors were massive.

A red and gold carpet stretched from the main entrance to the end of the room, which elevated a few short steps. There sat what Ness assumed to be the Throne, the perch dignified enough for only the King to sit at.

The other most distinctive sight was the 6 large men who stood, 3 on each side, against the columns. It didn't take a Scholar to figure out they were of the utmost importance. They each were decorated in red and gold clothing. _This place sure has a thing for red and gold, _Ness thought.

"I shall need to get going. Wait here for Lucas's arrival." Fuel told Ness, whose violet eyes were still travelling around the Throne room.

Suddenly, Ness felt his confidence evaporate at the thought of being left alone in the King's command post with 6 large, important looking people.

"Erm, alright Fuel. I'll...see you around?"

"You'll be fine." Fuel smiled. "Bye."

Watching the door shut behind his friend, Ness felt alien in this place. He looked around at the 6 men. They were varied in appearance. One of them was a distinct dark skin colour, with rather thick red lips and small slits for eyes. Another had rather messy black hair, a curved moustache, and a look of impatience or excitement. Ness vaguely recognized this one. He frequents Jeff's Blacksmith. What was his name...Sir Thomas, was it?

One of them was looking straight at him, and this man was very fresh in Ness's memory.

"Sir Isaac."

The Knight did not leave the best of impressions on the young mage, but he was a welcome sight here.

"Good day, kid. I did not expect you to make such an immediate trip to the Castle. Miss me already?"

Ness gave a non-committal jerk of the head. Isaac laughed in his deep voice. He stepped from his spot towards Ness.

"So what are you doing wandering the Castle? The Throne room is not a tourist location."

"Oh, uhh, King Lucas told me to wait here for him. I guess he has a meeting with a Mercenary group here soon?"

"Heh heh, met up with the King already, have you? I had a feeling you would."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now come, let me introduce you to these fine gentlemen."

The fine gentlemen now all had their attention on the two.

"This is Sir Abbot." A brown haired man with kind eyes. "Sir Thomas." The black haired man nodded at him at a speed Ness didn't think was possible to move you head at. "Sir Edward." A dignified looking man with neat black hair. "Sir Oliver." A rather bony face under a mat of blonde hair. "And Sir Reginald." The dark skinned individual smiled widely at him.

"They, along with myself and Sir Duster, serve as the King's Elite Captains, Noblemen who's skill in warfare is unparalleled. The King however, being the soft person he is, prefers to call us his friends."

Ness looked around. These 'Elite' Captains did not look much out of the ordinary. But if the last few days have taught him anything, it's that looks are deceiving, Sir Duster and his crippled leg being the prime example.

They carried an interesting assortment of weaponry, instead of the standard broadsword given to Knights. Sir Thomas had a familiar looking scimitar in his holster. Sir Reginald was holding what appeared to be a modified spear. Sir Edward had a quiver strapped across his back. Sir Oliver held a lethal looking mace. Sir Abbot had a trident, of all things. Sir Isaac himself had a large battleaxe on his back.

A loud bang startled Ness. He turned to the main doors, watched them creak open. In stepped Sir Duster, followed by the almost unrecognizable figure of King Lucas.

Ness could only stare. Lucas's yellow and red striped shirt was replaced by a dark red one with a small sunflower over his heart. The blue shorts were now brown long pants with blue trim. He now wore a red Cape with white fur at the collar, and it was long enough to drag on the floor when he walked. But the main attraction was on top of his now neatly brushed shiny blonde hair. A regal round Crown of red and gold, encrusted with rubies and sapphires. Lucas was also holding a long Staff, with a diamond shaped point at the end.

Lucas's personality also seems to have changed with his clothing. The gentle expression was replaced by a stern one. A slight frown, determined blue eyes, and mouth formed in a thin line. A commanding posture.

And for the first time, Ness could see why Lucas was the King of the powerful Nowhere Kingdom, the Ruler of his subjects. The young man was surrounded by an air of dominance.

The 6 Elite Captains bowed low as he walked down the red carpet. Isaac gave a rough elbow to Ness, who also quickly got down on one knee and bowed.

"Rise."

They stood up simultaneously. Isaac returned to his position. Ness didn't dare move from his spot as King Lucas approached him.

Lucas stopped in front of him. Ness was frozen. The two young mages looked at each other.

Lucas relaxed his stern expression into a smile. "Please stand over there for the duration of the meeting." He pointed with his staff to a spot to the left of the Throne.

Ness hastily complied, and stood straight at the place Lucas directed. The King then stepped up to the Throne, and sat down.

"Let's get this over with. Present the Dragon's Light Mercenaries."


	10. 9 Across the Land

_To the East were the Osohe and Dalaam Kingdoms._

Princess Kumatora is an impatient person. She is headstrong, outspoken, direct, impulsive, tough, all the general traits you would think to find in a battle hardened Knight, not a young lady who is the titular head of Osohe.

Prince Poo is adamantly patient. He is collected, calm, wise, premeditative, tough, all the general traits you would expect to find in a young Prince of the ancient Kingdom of Dalaam.

But in a rather interesting reversal of roles, Prince Poo finds his patience being tested by the hesitancy of Princess Kumatora.

"I wish for you to hold off any action until I have heard results from Wess!" Princess Kumatora objected in her unyielding voice. One that usually intimidates and entices action from whomever it was directed towards.

Except Prince Poo. "Why would thou hesitate now? 'Tis not like thou to second guess thine decisions! It would be most desirable to strike now, before thine enemy can adequately prepare!" He countered in a calm but demanding voice.

"That is the point! I do not judge King Lucas in such an absolute! He has helped my home, my Kingdom back on its feet, and he has acted as nothing but a cohort and friend to me!"

"How now, Princess? Have you forgotten the purpose of our alliance? Thou cannot afford such hesitation."

"And you cannot afford such haste, Prince. I am very much aware of the contract of our alliance, but I would appreciate some time for me to think this through!"

Such arguments were inevitable when the two leaders of the adjoined Kingdoms were such a contrast to each other. But there was more to it than that. Each leader has their own motivation, their own goal. Each had their own purpose for their Kingdom, their own problems to deal with. And all of it came down to a singular point. A young blonde with a red striped shirt who was the King of the most powerful united Province in the land.

"Would thou need me to remind you why you made your decision to ally thine warriors with ours?"

"I need no such reminder. I am well aware. But I am not so simply hostile to Nowhere."

"But if thou wish to rid the fog that covers thy past, if thou wishes for independence and power..."

"...then I shall have to act upon thy will." The spunky Princess mocked. She was being purposely difficult, and she knew it. It pleased her that she could put on edge someone with as calm a demeanour as Prince Poo.

The ponytailed Prince sighed. He could use a meditation trip to the mountains now. "We, as humans, lose the will, the motivation for action if we do not take the initiative forthwith. I sincerely wish thou would set thy mind straight before thou completely defaults our invasion plans."

"It is only until Wess comes back from his meeting with Lucas." Princess Kumatora turned and walked away, her dazzling pink hair waving in the wind, effectively ending the conversation. Prince Poo looked into the distance, his mind ever busy, always planning.

It came as a surprise to all that the Osohe and Dalaam Kingdoms were able to reach a pact. Almost everything about the two was different, from lifestyles to fighting styles, from the Prince to the Princess. But it seems they have found common ground in one thing. A tense relationship with Nowhere and its King that would end in nothing short of battle.

Princess Kumatora is unsure of her place in the alliance. She's a former friend of King Lucas, but now it seems that has changed.

Prince Poo is absolutely sure of his utter contempt and loathing of King Lucas. And nothing will ever change that.

-01210-

_To the West was the Minch Kingdom._

In comparison, the Minch Kingdom was miniscule. Pathetic. Not considered a threat and not worth the cost of invasion.

It was barely large enough to be recognized by the neighbouring Provinces as an up and coming Kingdom. It had barely enough citizens to uphold an economy and incite notice.

King Porky was ever conscious of this fact.

He loved being the King. He loved bending his subjects over for his will. He loved watching his people bow before him when he makes his presence known. He loved the power and the control.

But he hated how little of it he has. His Kingdom was not enough. He wanted more people to kiss his feet, more subjects to break for his orders. Minch barely had enough people to support itself, much less enough for him to use as toys.

And so he was determined to change that.

It was surprising how resourceful Minch Kingdom was, despite its small size. The King had in his disposal technology and weapons that were unknown, alien. He would relish in the shock and reactions of his enemies when he unleashes them.

In fact, he was going to check up on a few of them right now. He stepped slowly down the stairs into the dungeons that held the laboratories.

There was a large niche, big enough to serve as a small room, carved out of the wall. It was covered over with glass. Inside the niche was a dark, unmoving figure. King Porky looked at it, smug.

A deafening roar and loud banging resonated across the dungeon lab. King Porky was not startled in the least. He slowly turned and walked up to the source, a massive metal cage.

Inside was an indescribable conglomeration of flesh and blood. It was massive, much larger than even mammoths. And it was all King Porky's. Too bad it wasn't completely finished yet.

As much as he hated to, he conceded to the fact that these beautiful creations were not his sole doing. But he was joyous that the being, whose power was able to create them, was a loyal dog that listened to his every whim.

He was preparing. Preparing for the upcoming battles that would end in his undeniable victory. Preparing for the fresh new faces that would bow before him. Fassad was on his way south. His plan was being set in motion.

-01210-

_To the North was a wasteland of ice and steep mountains._

The mountains here were tall, sheer, and practically unscalable. They were covered in snow and frost, which hid gaping chasms and sharp spiking stones.

But among this hellish landscape of death, there was an oasis of life and beauty. In the middle of these deadly mountains was a small, flat plateau. This place was protected from storms by the mountains around it, and received an outstanding amount of sunlight. Despite the altitude, the place was unusually warm. The rocky ground was not covered in snow, but instead, fertile soil that collects water from runoffs of the surrounding mountains.

These conditions were made ideal for the only place in the land to have naturally occurring sunflowers.

They grew tall and bright, reaching for the sun. They were so numerous it seemed like a carpet of yellow from a distance. They were the only life that exists in this place, and they thrived.

No one knew the truth, but allegedly someone has overcome the devilish obstacles and managed to reach the plateau. Someone had set eyes on this beautiful oasis, reveled in this miraculous discovery. And lived to tell of it.

They had no choice but to believe it happened. Because otherwise, no one would have knowledge of what sunflowers were. That someone had taken a flower and returned with it, and 400 years later, sunflowers grew everywhere in the land, not just in that little plateau.

The story branched out in variations, no one knew what the actual truth was. But they all had one part in common. The alleged somebody had taken this sunflower, and travelled...

-01210-

_To the south, where the Nowhere Kingdom thrived._

_Where everything would come together._

_Where everyone's focus was._

_Where history would be forever made._


	11. 10 The King's Resolve

Mercenaries within the land were not the barbaric, uncivilized image that commoners have placed upon them. If anything, they were extremely dignified, very polite, and unless you knew who to look for, completely undistinguishable from the general public.

Most mercenaries are self proclaimed, but are in reality little more than angry farmers with whittling knives . The select few who do manage to flourish as a blade to be auctioned for the highest bidder, lead successful, high standard, albeit low profile lives. Because no matter how peaceful a Kingdom may seem on the surface, down below, grudges are held, businesses are competing, and more often than not, the easiest solution is simply to eliminate the cause of your stress. As long as you have the means to pay for it, that is.

Pay was definitely not the issue for King Lucas. Competence was. And if nothing else, the Dragon's Light Mercenaries were ruthlessly competent.

There were many factors that differentiated the Dragon's Lights from some other rag tag mercenary group. Aside from being absolute masters in the field of assassination, as well as having meticulous information of the land's topography due to extensive travelling, the Dragon's Lights were known to be fanatics. They were strict members of the Draconicism Faith, and claim to be the Dark Dragon God's 'willing instrument' in the world of mortals. As such, they would only accept jobs when the targeted have offended the word of God, and actively purge 'blasphemers' on the side.

The core group was composed of 5 rather unique individuals, and Ness watched as they stepped almost silently into the Throne room in a V formation, like migrating geese. And they definitely seemed deviant from the regular people in Tazmily Estate.

The most obvious was that they clothed themselves in brown tunics, instead of the stitched cotton wear nearly all of Nowhere Kingdom dressed in. A very old and simple fashion style indeed. The next was that despite having relatively youthful features, all 5 retained a significant beard reaching the bottom of their necks. As well as the matching holstered curved sabre swords on their sides.

They were murmuring. Ness could see the mercenaries bringing up the rear talking in a hushed tone, and directing stares at King Lucas. It was pretty obvious that they were thrown off by the King's appearance. Either that, or they were not thrilled at the prospect of working for a 14 year old kid, no matter what position he held or how much he paid.

The leading man of their formation stepped forwards, and Ness's eyes fell immediately to the bowl hat with a feather on top of his brown hair. He proudly recognized it as a differently coloured version of the hat that he wore as well.

The leader of the Dragon's Lights then got down on one knee, and bowed deeply.

"King Lucas of the esteemed Nowhere Kingdom, my name is Jonel of the Estate of Sunshine, leader of the Dragon's Light, His willing sword. It is an honour to be in the presence of God's own chosen surrogate in the Land of Mortals." Jonel's deep voice recited.

King Lucas regarded the bowed man for a moment. "God's own chosen surrogate...would that be me?"

When most people look, Jonel's face seemed to be permanently frozen in a look of disapproval, as his brown eyebrows were always creased down. So it was difficult to discern any reaction to Lucas's question.

"Of course, your Highness. You and your family are, after all, chosen by the Lord to lead our Kingdom."

To Ness, this was beginning to sound eerily similar to the scripts he read back in his old homeland. As he stood stiffly in the corner the King directed him to, he recalled some of the teachings in his Religion dominated schools. The King of the land was picked by God to be his servant in the dimension of mortals. It seemed like there were certain similarities between Catholicism and Draconicism belief structure after all.

It soon became apparent Lucas was not a believer of such teachings. "I am fairly certain that God had little hand in making me the King of Nowhere. I cannot say that I feel his presence in me. I'm fairly certain all decisions I make are of my own will. Then again, I suppose that if He was so willing, He could've made it seem like I am thinking for myself while I am actually the puppet and He the one holding the strings."

Ness could register Jonel's face pale bit by bit as King Lucas talked. He learned from Jeff around a year back of the Dragon's Lights, and their cult like structure. Lucas was boldly challenging their faith.

"But this is not of relevance to our discussions," Lucas continued. "Rise, Jonel."

The mercenary slowly got up from his crouched position. Ness took in the setting. Jonel's brown tunic and travel pants were rot in comparison to the bright Royal clothing of King Lucas. But this man was a deadly killer. Ness felt the only thing stopping him from sprinting up to the young King and running his sabre through his heart was the presence of the 7 Elite Captains standing guard on either side of the 5 mercenaries.

"Now then, let this meeting commence." Lucas stated. Ness was still trying to adjust to the fact that although Lucas's voice was the high pitched, gentle one of any regular 14 year old, every word that came out of the blonde's mouth was akin to law.

"Firstly, I wish to express my joy to have garnered your trust to meet under such circumstances. Your group has killed...numerous Nobles and merchants throughout the Kingdom, and have caused respectable havoc among all settlements across Nowhere."

King Lucas breathed in. "However, as promised, this meeting will be conducted between mutually respected individuals, and you will not fall under any threat of arrest. Nor will you in the event of us being unable to reach a compromising agreement for your services."

Jonel nodded impassively. "We would not believe an individual such as yourself to be one who would conspicuously deceive us, the servants of God himself, lest you invite yourself to be taken by Hades."

_Did he just tell Lucas to go to Hell?_ Ness thought.

"I have called upon your services because of your extensive knowledge of the inner workings of Dalaam." Lucas continued.

The 5 mercenaries seemed to stiffen.

"I believe that your group has had a hand in many Dalaamian assassinations, most of which boldly took place in the heart of their own Kingdom. Your ability to pass in and out of Dalaam and get away with murders there will be a great asset to our war effort against Prince Poo."

Ness blinked. The Nowhere Kingdom was at war with Dalaam? He had fallen under the impression that it was little more than a spat or disagreement. He didn't think the battles along the borders were that serious.

Jonel nodded slowly, deliberately. "The Dalaamians have perpetuated their blasphemous actions against the Lord, they foolishly reject the Dark Dragon as their creator. It is our duty to preach to these stubborn fools, and those who don't listen shall die by our blades."

"Good, that's what I want to hear." Lucas said matter-of-factly. "In inevitable conflicts with them in the future, we could use your help gathering as much inside information and wreaking as much internal damage as possible. Every person that dies on their side is potentially one less that will die on ours. Having you on our side means I don't have to throw away as many scouts anymore."

Ness looked at the young blonde King who he has made friends with. He seems to have forgotten that Ness was still in the room. And Ness could not help but feel a bit uncomfortable as they talked about people's lives as if they were expendable. If the direction of this meeting kept going where it was headed, the Throne room would become a very uncomfortable place for the young Noble. Was this how it happened back in Eagleland too? The Kings and Commanders sat in their comfortable rooms and gambled away the soldiers' lives? All for the 'greater good'?

And all of a sudden, he felt a pair of eyes looking his way. He looked up, and stared into the deep cobalt irises of the King of Nowhere. Lucas's face was passive, his crown glittering in the sunlight from the large windows. Ness felt transparent under the studying gaze. And now all 5 of the mercenaries and the Elite Captains were looking his way as well. For the first time he could remember, Ness wished that all eyes weren't on him. He tried his best to not reveal any weakness to the deadly killers present in the room.

"Ahem." All eyes turned back to King Lucas. "We shall discuss the specifics of your task, if you are willing to accept our prearranged payment and terms of operation, at a later time."

Ness let the breath he was holding escape from his mouth very, very slowly. He was grateful that Lucas did not press the subject, and had not directed further attention to him. It was only natural for the King to be observant and considerate. Well, maybe not all of them were as considerate as this one.

Lucas looked at the Dragon's Light mercenaries, somehow making eye contact with all of them at the same time. "But that is only if you agree. I trust you have had sufficient time to make a decision?"

The murmuring started back up. Jonel looked back at his mercenary group, and watched them chatter. It was clear from the frowns on their faces that they indeed have not reached a unanimous decision.

King Lucas sighed, his small shoulders lifting and dropping back down. "Well, before you give me an answer, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you gentlemen in private. Captains, you are dismissed. Return to your respective posts."

Ness turned pallid, eyes widening. What was Lucas thinking? He would be leaving himself alone...well with Ness...in the room with 5 deadly, deadly mercenaries who have not even given their clear allegiance yet! If they decided to turn on him, Nowhere would once again have a dead King. And Ness certainly would be able to do little, even with his magic, to turn the tides.

But neither Lucas, nor his 7 Elite Knights seem to be conscious of this fact, and Ness watched dully as they bowed and marched uniformly out the large front door. Even the mercenaries seem surprised by this move, as they watched, eyes wide, the door shut with a loud clang that echoed through the silent Throne room.

All eyes turned back to the King.

"...Umm...Lucas..." Ness ventured out quietly, eyes fixed on the 5 bemused mercenaries.

"Please do not speak out of turn, Sir Ness." Lucas said just as quietly. The tone was not unkind. Ness slunk back, praying the King knew what he was doing, and that they would both live to see the setting sun.

"Well then," Lucas said. "It is blatant that you as a group have not decided yet. I would very much like to hear any objections and concerns any one of you may have right now, and I will address them to the best of my ability."

The 5 men looked at each other, then back at Lucas. There was something about the way they were measuring the young King that made Ness feel uneasy. But Lucas seemed unfazed.

_He's no fool. He runs an entire Kingdom. He knows what he is doing. I sincerely hope._

The leader Jonel cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I believe some of my friends here have a few...objections they would like to clear."

"Yeah, like how one so...youthful like yourself managed to become the Ruler of the Kingdom." One of the men at the back piped up.

Ness and Lucas both turned to study him. "What is your name, kind Sir?"

"Ocho, of the Tanetane Kingdom."

Ness remembered in one of his lessons that Tanetane was an island Kingdom in the far west, way past the Minch Kingdom, in fact. It was a wonder anyone managed to reach Tazmily Estate from there.

Lucas nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, to answer your query, my father was assassinated by what I believe to be an unhappy citizen of Nowhere, and I was simply forced to take his place." He said easily.

This was the first of the Royal Family that Ness has actually heard Lucas talk about. And judging by how blunt and emotionless his answer was, perhaps he wasn't on the best of terms with them. For all he knew, Lucas could've hated his family. Well, his deceased mother and father anyways.

Ocho wasn't satisfied. "I learned as much from estate news reports." He scoffed.

"Then what more are you expecting?" Lucas asked candidly.

"A more...thorough explanation to what transpired."

"...you're suggesting that I was the one who killed my father for the crown?"

_...how could I have missed that possibility? _ Ness thought. It was more than possible that Lucas killed his own father, but he doesn't seem like the kind of person capable of something like that. Then again, he knew very, very little about King Lucas.

"I did not say that," Ocho defended, although the slight smirk on his face said otherwise. "I am merely requesting for your Highness to fill in some of the gaping holes in the story of how your father died."

"Such as?"

"What was his purpose for taking long leaves of absence with squads of Knights to roam the countryside? How did your mother die? How did you manage to procure such a one sided victory against the invading Dalaamians when they were on the brink of victory for so long at Murasaki?" Ocho drawled out, gaining momentum each word he spat out.

Ness turned to Lucas. He was curious for an answer as well.

The young blonde King merely looked bored. "Did you not think others working under me have asked those very same questions? And if they have yet to procure an answer from me, what makes you think you can?"

_Damn. _Ness was disappointed, but he did not show it, unlike Ocho, who was fuming.

"If you expect us to do your bidding in any shape or form, we expect answers to our questions!"

"Whether I give you an answer or not is irrelevant to the 'biddings' I want you to do." Lucas leaned his head against the palm he propped up on the armrest of the Throne, eyes half open. "We are paying you a significant amount of Dragon Points, and have agreed to not throw you into the dungeons for past offences against us. That should be plenty enough for you, mercenary."

Ocho seemed to swell up like an octopus about to take off, but Jonel placed his arm in front of the man. "Please forgive my friend's directness, my Lord. He merely wishes for you to build more trust among us, so we may work together better."

"Is that so?" Lucas played around with his long Staff, looking up and down the hilt, still with an incredibly bore expression on his face. "The Dragon's Light Mercenaries wish to build more trust with me?"

The 5 men in tunics seem a bit put off by the lack of attention the King is sparing them. "Of course, my Lord." Jonel said.

Lucas looked at them. "Do you gentlemen know who Deimos Fleance is?"

Ness could clearly see the mercenaries all pale significantly, eyes widening. _What? Who's Deimos?_

Jonel recovered first. "You know then."

Lucas snorted. "Of course I know."

Desperate for information, Ness asked "Know what?"

The King turned to look at his black haired friend, who had obediently stood in that place the entire meeting. "Deimos Fleance is an admirably successful merchant of Osohe Kingdom, very wealthy. He is also the undercover leader of a group of annoyances that plot to undo the Nowhere Kingdom." Lucas explained uninterestedly, as if this was the most minor of inconveniences.

He turned back to look at the Dragon's Lights. "He has also paid a good amount to these gentlemen to kill me." He stated bluntly.

One reason or another, Ness was not that shocked to hear this. His biggest concern now was the safety of both himself and King Lucas. _Why, oh why did he dismiss his Elite guards?_

"...how did you find out?" Ocho asked.

_Fantastic, they are not even trying to deny it, _ Ness inwardly groaned.

"You don't need to know." Lucas retorted.

"...well then," Jonel said in a low tone that sent shivers up Ness's spine. "If you were aware of our intentions, why did you choose to leave yourself undefended against 5 merciless warriors of God?"

"Simply because I have nothing to fear. Even in the extremely unlikely case that you manage to slay me, you have no chance of escaping the Castle afterwards."

"But we would have taken the Crown down with ourselves."

"Would you really kill God's own chosen in the land of mortals?"

Jonel's eyes flashed. "You are not God's chosen. You are a mage. Magic users have no right to exist. They have stolen the powers that belong only to the Dark Dragon God. They trespass upon the domain of Godhood. You are a blasphemer!"

Jonel's words rung loudly in Ness's mind. Are mages truly offenses to God? Is he a deviation that has no right to live in this world? Even though Ness was never a firm believer of God, he could not help but feel unnerved by the idea. _"Magic users have no right to exist!" _Those words were hauntingly familiar...

Lucas sighed tiredly. "It is that kind of superfluous thinking that is holding back progress in this world. But it matters not. You may attempt to assassinate me at your own risk. You may attempt to do it now, or when I am asleep. Just be wary that if I do catch you, I will not hesitate to kill you."

There was no mercy, no bluff in Lucas's tone when he said that. He meant every word, and he drove home the point with authority.

But the impression was lost on Ocho, who laughed. "The day I see a pitiful child like yourself put even a scratch on us..."

"...would be today."

Ocho's eyes grew large. "I beg your pardon?"

King Lucas rose from his regal Throne, holding his Staff tightly. He let his red Cape fall to the floor. He stood stretched to his full height, his maroon shirt and golden hair clearly visible in the sunlight.

"Put weight into your words, mercenary. Come fight me, and I promise you, I will take that sabre of yours, and skewer it up your ass sideways."

Ness choked.

Ocho's lips curled into an ugly snarl. "It would not be wise to provoke me, _your Highness._"

"Do tell." Lucas stepped slowly towards the mercenary group. "Please, enlighten this 14 year old child to your ways of the sword."

The mercenary slowly stepped forward as well to meet his challenger. "I shall take you on myself."

The rest of the Dragon's Lights stepped back and allowed their comrade a personal fight. Ocho and Lucas stopped a few metres apart from each other. Ocho's teeth were bared, his stance curled up, ready to spring, while Lucas remained passive, eyebrows slightly knit. Even from this distance the height difference between the full grown man and the young Lucas was apparent. They stared at each other like wolves about to tear his enemy apart.

Ness was glad to be a bystander, and he watched with baited breath, heart thumping uncontrollably, waiting for the spar to begin. Now he would know what kind of a warrior the King of Nowhere was.

Ocho made the first move, accelerating forward in a blur of speed. He brought his curved sabre up and swung down at King Lucas's face, so quickly the blade was a flash of silver before Ness's eyes. But it was met with Lucas's long Staff, which he held with one hand to parry the blow easily.

Clearly the Staff that Lucas carried was no ordinary walking stick. It did not break, it did not even dent from the sword swing.

Ocho heaved down on the sword against the Staff, hoping to overpower the young King. The blade inched closer and closer to Lucas's face, but at the last second, Lucas conceded, sidestepping and pulling his staff away from the sword. Ocho, who was using his full force to push down on the sword, could not recover, and lurched forward. Taking full advantage, Lucas then used his one hand to swing his Staff around with blinding speed and struck the mercenary between the shoulder blades, putting him flat on his front side, lying on the thick red carpet.

Ocho grimaced, pulling himself off the ground, and stared at the young King, who stood looking bored, his staff held across his small body in a defensive position.

Since brute force won't work, then precision and speed should. Ocho jumped at Lucas, and thrust his blade towards the boy's chest. But his attack was stopped by the Staff once more. Not deflected, stopped. The tip of the sword was halted by the Staff's pole right in the middle. A little bit more to either side, and the blade would've slid off the cylindrical Staff and into Lucas's chest.

Reacting quickly, the mercenary pulled back and slashed to the side, but it was also deftly blocked by Lucas. Ocho grew more and more heated as he rained down blow after blow upon the King, only to have all of them dodged or parried.

And finally, he let his anger get the best of him, and he slashed too hard and too high, aimed to scalp Lucas's forehead. The young King quickly ducked underneath the hard swing, knowing his opponent would not be able to gather back quickly enough, and thrust the flat bottom end of his Staff into Ocho's stomach. The mercenary doubled over, and Lucas quickly followed up with a kick to his feet. Ocho felt his feet get knocked out under him, and before he could fall to the floor, Lucas brought his other leg around and delivered a harsh spin kick to his face. The force carried the hapless mercenary a few metres away before he thudded to the stone floor.

Amazement aside, Ness felt a vague sense of familiarity when watching King Lucas fight. The mercenary Ocho was by no means a pushover. Ness could tell the man in the tunic was a competent warrior who was familiar with his weapon. Yet Lucas managed to outmaneuver and eventually overpower the man. And that's when it hit him. Lucas's fighting style was very similar to Ness's own. Frustrating the opponent until he makes a mistake, then taking advantage, that's what he had done to that Dalaamian farmer some days ago. Except Lucas managed to pull it off with more grace and accuracy, and against a much more skilled fighter. The King was no weakling.

"Hey, get up." King Lucas called out in a bored voice. "I wouldn't imagine the floor makes a comfortable slumber."

Ocho pulled himself up with his hands, seething.

Lucas chuckled. "Come now, I am a 14 year old King. Did you not think that I would've been eaten alive if I weren't at least the slightest bit independent as a fighter?"

You knew your pride was at stake if you were being chastised by a kid. Ocho launched himself, sword flailing, back at Lucas.

Jonel watched the scene before him. He motioned to one of his cohorts, who nodded and slunk away to the side, behind a pole.

The black haired boy with the blue and cream garment was too busy watching the King and Ocho battle. King Lucas was much too preoccupied with his opponent. Therefore no one said a word as Jonel noiselessly crept up behind Lucas, his own sabre unsheathed, like a snake about to strike his unsuspecting victim.

Lucas managed to knock Ocho away from him again, but it was too late by then. Ness saw the second mercenary behind King Lucas too late, and could not shout out any warning. He watched helplessly as Jonel plunged his blade towards the back of the unsuspecting Lucas's head, intent on ending the young blonde's Rule right then and there.

The sword never reached its target.

There was a sound akin something smashing into, but not breaking, a window. The blade was stopped cold against a strange sphere surrounding Lucas, made of plate sized, glowing blue translucent diamonds.

The blue light lit up Jonel's face, which held partly a shocked expression, and partly a grimace, as his wrists were on fire from his attack being brought to an immediate stop.

There was no doubt in Ness's mind that it was Lucas's doing. There was no doubt that it was magic. As he stood gaping at all that had just happened in the past blink of an eye, the back of his mind subconsciously registered the spell.

_Shield._

Lucas slowly turned around to meet Jonel's face. Somehow, the young King managed to seem more frightening with a bland expression than with an angry one.

The shield disappeared, and Lucas swung his Staff at Jonel, who jumped back to evade the blow, clearing space between the two.

"Well, if I am going to Hell anyways for using magic." Lucas said, face stoic. "I might as well use it as much as possible before I die, wouldn't you agree?"

"Thrice damn you and your powers, _your Highness_." Jonel spat.

Ocho slowly got back up from behind Lucas, and scurried back to his 3 comrades.

One of them was missing...

"Mmmft...!"

King Lucas jerked his head around to the noise, and saw, with a stab of anger, that one of the mercenary scum had snuck around and now had a thick arm around Ness's mouth, and another holding his sabre across the young mage's throat. Ness was struggling under the hold, clawing at his abductor's thick arms, kicking at his shins, but the mercenary held.

Before he could do anything, Lucas was forced to jump back, as Jonel, hoping to catch him with his attention split, aimed to behead the young King.

The first signs of anger showed up on Lucas's young visage as he stared down the 4 mercenaries in front of him. He gripped his Staff with both his hands, and let out a low growl.

"Since you are so willing to strike a deal with us, let us make a deal." Jonel spoke in a low voice, although Lucas could easily detect a triumphant undertone.

"You shall fight the 4 of us without the assistance of your blasphemous magic, and we will make sure not a drop of your young friend's blood hits the floor."

_God damn it!_ If there was anything Ness hated more than these lowly killers-for-hire, it was being a liability to his friends. Still struggling vainly against the crushing hold of the mercenary behind him, Ness wondered how he even managed to get himself into this situation, and more importantly, how he was going to get out. _If_ he was going to get out. Ness knew that if it came down to it, he may just have to take one for the good of the Nowhere Kingdom. He doubted Lucas could take on 4 deadly killers without magic.

But as always, Lucas remained unnaturally calm. "If anything, the decision is you gentlemen's."

Jonel raised his forever furrowed eyebrows. "How so?"

"If you let Sir Ness free, then the Dragon's Light Mercenaries shall go free, and we shall avoid further incident. If even a single drop of Sir Ness's blood hits my Castle's floor, all 5 of you shall immediately die an excruciating and humiliating death by my hand. And I will personally see to it that any remnants of your pathetic mercenary group are vanquished from this mortal existence."

Taken aback, the mercenaries immediately began to show signs of hesitancy. Ness could even feel the grip on his mouth slacken slightly, but not enough for him to escape. Getting over the shock, the black haired Noble commended Lucas for taking such a bold and aggressive step, even though it was bargaining with his life.

'_Ness, can you hear me?'_

Ness jumped slightly at the familiar sensation of hearing someone in his head without using his ears. He realized Lucas was talking to him directly in his mind. Just like Ionia had done.

Outwardly, the King was not even looking his way, and appeared to be holding an unpleasant conversation with Jonel and the rest of the mercenaries, but Ness was barely paying attention. He was instead trying to figure out how to respond to the young blonde. He focused all his attention on the King, trying to shut out all outside noise, and tried to keep only Lucas's slim figure in his vision.

There was a curious sensation flooding through Ness. Everything felt muted, dull. But he was hypersensitive to everything Lucas was doing. All his movements, every little sound he made were amplified. Ness closed his eyes, hoping it would work.

'_Yes'_

Relaying even one word took a lot more strength than he anticipated. He snapped out of the trance like sensation, and looked at Lucas. The young King gave no indication of having received his message.

But then... _'Good. Not bad, being able to reply on your first try.' _ Lucas's gentle voice ran through his mind. _'So why aren't you doing anything to try to get out of that idiot's hold?'_

What was he talking about? Ness had been fervently struggling against his captor. Unless...unless he meant something else? Surely he couldn't have meant for him to use magic? But now that he thought about it, it would make the most sense to use his given ability to tip the scales in his favour.

Lucas was still talking to the mercenaries, but another thought came Ness's way.

'_Come on, Ness. Show me what you are capable of.'_

Ness was still hesitant. _Rockin' _was a powerful spell, undoubtedly, but what would the effects be against humans? He's never used it in such a dangerous situation before.

Then he caught Lucas glancing his way quickly. And Ness was almost sure that the blonde slipped a quick smile at him before he turned away.

_He's right. I have to save myself, fight, like I always do. To Hell with over-thinking everything. Well, here goes. _

And once more, he focused his energy deep within his body. He once again felt the power of his destructive spell coursing through his limbs. _Take this, you son of a whore!_

And the strobe of blue, yellow and red lights exploded out of Ness's body, radiating out with such force that the 4 mercenaries standing away from him were blown a few steps back.

As for the poor fellow who decided to take Ness hostage, he now lay crumpled against the unforgiving stone wall, his tunic shredded and smoking, his head bleeding, completely unconscious.

As soon as his body recovered from casting the _Rockin' _spell, Ness picked up the mercenary's fallen sabre, and rushed to Lucas side, beaming proudly. King Lucas returned the smile in earnest.

The two young mages turned their heated gazes at the remaining Dragon's Lights, who were ghostly pale. They raised their swords defensively.

"Damn you. It seems like there are more of you offences in our pure world than I first thought." Jonel said through clenched teeth. "It is our duty as the Lord's willing instrument, to purge you from our land!"

"Is that so?" Lucas said quietly.

Suddenly Ness felt a significant power building, not within him, but from the young King beside him. It was very similar to his experience of building pressure when he first learned _Rockin', _ but the power was external this time. And the pressure just as incessant.

Then he saw it. A cyan glow on Lucas's right hand. A shimmering band of flashing light surrounded his hand in a hexagon shape. The glow brightened as the power increased. And as Ness felt the energy buildup climax, Lucas raised his glowing right hand.

A blinding flash. A sound like an explosion, drowning out the yells of the mercenaries. A sickening crunch. Force. Heat.

When everything settled, things came to an eerie calm in the Throne room. The Sunflower flags waved gently. 4 more unconscious bodies now joined Ness's victim.

"...looks like the Dark Dragon will have his work cut out for him then." Lucas finished quietly. His right hand still had a fading residual blue glow.

Ness's mind subconsciously registered the spell.

..._Love..._

During the whole incident, the Crown had not once fallen from Lucas's gentle blonde hair.

-01210-

A farmer named Butch slammed the rake into the soft earth, and pulled, leaving 4 perpendicular lines in the ground. He then sprinkled some seeds on the soil.

He rose from his bent over position, and arched his back backwards with a groan, feeling his joints snap back in place. Sweat poured off his fat face as the unforgiving sun beat down on him from the cloudless sky. He was not accustomed to all this work. Usually his brother Biff would be doing his share of planting as well, but _nooooo,_ he had to get sick.

Satisfied that he had done enough mud scraping for one day, he went to do his favourite job, slopping the pigs. Butch loved his pigs more than anything. They were all perfect in his eyes, more perfect than any of the other farmers' meatless carcasses of pigs.

As he filled the troughs, his eyes wandered to a line of horses carrying large carts slowly trotting south along the road. He listened to the steady clip clop of the horseshoes, the rumbling and squeaking of the wooden wheels. Butch's farm was right next to a main trade route leading into Tazmily Estate from the west side.

Suddenly the convoy stopped. Right in the middle of the busy road, right in front of Butch's farm.

From one of the carts that was fashioned for holding travellers, stepped out a rather wide man. He had beady eyes, an eye-drawing black moustache, and a very large nose. He wore strangely out of place clothing. A disk like hat with a long white cloth extending from it that covered all of the man's hair, a long sleeve white garment, with a brown leather vest over it, matching white pants and brown shoes, and a belt with a shiny bronze buckle.

Butch stared at the potbellied man as he made his way over to the fence of his pigs' pen. He wore a raunchy grin.

"Ah, what a fine day it is!" The man declared loudly, spreading his arms out. He spoke with a rather thick accent that Butch couldn't place.

"Erm...can I help you there, traveller?" Butch offered less than enthusiastically.

"Oh, no, please, no need to burden yourself with someone like me!" The large man replied. "I was merely taking a much needed break from my journey, when I laid eyes on these...wonderful pigs of yours!" He rolled the 'R' sounds off his tongue.

Butch immediately perked up. Most farmers around the area did not share his opinion about his pigs, saying there is nothing special about them, and calling Butch deluded for thinking so. It was very nice to receive recognition where it was deserved.

"Well...you certainly have a good judgement, stranger." Butch said, much more enthusiastically.

"You don't need good judgement to see how wonderful these pigs are! But please, I am no stranger to you. My name is Fassad, and I hail from the Minch Kingdom. What do you go by, my friend?"

_Minch Kingdom huh? Well they certainly have some nice people there to say the least. _Butch thought. "My name is Butch, humble farmer of the Nowhere Kingdom."

"Well it is a pleasure, Butch!" The man named Fassad leaned closer to the farmer. "Tell me, my friend, are you happy with your life here in the Nowhere Kingdom?" He asked in a quieter voice.

Was he? Butch thought about how his life has transpired so far. He worked his farm all his life, and the Nobles owning his plot paid decently for his crops. And 3 years ago he was even given the chance to partake in Royal decisions through voting. He has never starved, in fact, he has built up quite a bit of weight. He'd say he was decently well off.

"Why yes, I would say I am fairly content with my life in Nowhere."

"I am happy that you are, my friend." Fassad nodded, still wearing that wide grin. "But you tell me that you are only fairly content. You must think there are things that can be done to make you even happier?"

Butch nodded vigorously. "Of course, but I can only expect so much as a farmer."

Fassad made an odd gesture, as if surprised by his answer. "But my dear Butch, is it not the bound duty of the King and the Kingdom to make their citizens as happy as possible in life?"

That...made a lot of sense, actually. "I suppose..."

"Well, I do not believe that you are gaining proper happiness and recognition for all your work! I mean, just look at these marvelous pigs! And your Kingdom has the gall to not properly reward you for nursing such beautiful animals?" Fassad said in a shocked tone.

It made sense. Everything that came out of this traveller's mouth made sense. Why in God's name wasn't he being recognized more? "Yeah...yeah! I deserve more!"

"Of course you do. That is why it is the duty of myself, and all of Minch Kingdom to make everyone as happy as possible."

Fassad reached behind his wide belly, and took out a pale bag of jingling objects. Butch didn't need to see inside to know it was a large amount of Dragon Points. His mouth inadvertently drooled.

"And so, I would like to rectify this unjustness. I would like to buy one of your incredible pigs, for the price that it deserves." Fassad shook the bag of currency in front of Butch's greedy eyes.

"Of course, my friend, let me pick one out for you right now!"

Fassad watched the fat farmer scramble to catch one of his pigs, his smile betrayed none of the real emotions he felt inside watching this pathetic farmer. "Remember my friend, King Porky and all of the Minch Kingdom wishes for the best for all in this land! If you wish to learn more, I shall be spreading the goodwill in Tazmily Estate for the next few weeks!"

Soon after, Butch was now short one pig, but a bag full of DP richer. He stood there, watching Fassad's convoy continue towards Tazmily. The farmer wondered what he had done to deserve such good fortune and joy. But remembering the words of that Minch traveller, he realized that he had always deserved such, and Nowhere Kingdom was simply not providing him with what he rightfully should receive.

-01210-

"I would like you to teach me more about the magical arts." Ness said, his tone serious.

King Lucas looked at the young novice mage. Although the black haired boy remained collected as he walked beside Lucas, the King could feel his sense of willingness and excitement bubbling in his mind.

"I would be happy to oblige, just let me shed this Royal clothing first..." Lucas began to unravel the Cape from his shoulders. "...I only really need to wear them during meetings and announcements and such, as a formality..." He then folded the large red Cape into a neat square bundle, carrying it in his hands. "...but otherwise I prefer not to burden myself with excess accessories." He gingerly lifted the shining Crown off his blonde hair and placed it on top of the folded cloak.

Ness thought Lucas did indeed look more mobile without the Cloak dragging behind him, or Crown balanced on his head.

"For the occasion, your Cloak and Crown are very elegant, if anything." Ness said.

"Thank you. It took a while for a commissioned SewMaster to stitch my Awesome Cloak, and the Awesome Crown is an heirloom."

"...that's...awesome..."

Lucas chuckled. "It sounds rather strange, but all Royal accessories I self-prefix 'Awesome'. I also have an Awesome Ring back in my room."

Well, there was certainly no denying that they were what Lucas calls them. "Was that Staff you handed to Duster your 'Awesome Staff' as well?"

"Actually, no. That is the Mystical Staff. And as you probably noticed, it's no ordinary walking stick."

"Mystical Staff?"

"Yes." Lucas opened a small wooden door, and dropped off his Awesome Cloak and Crown in there. Ness couldn't see what was inside. "The Mystical Staff is my preferred weapon, in fact. Made of a secret alloy, and reinforced with magical spells, that Staff is impervious to most damage, and does not wear out. It was a gift for me made by one of my Pure Mage friends."

That's another use for magic that Ness hadn't yet thought of. Enchanting weapons to make them stronger. He could only imagine what a good sword with powerful enchantments could do in battle. Speaking of which...

"Why do you not use a sword as your weapon? Why a Staff?"

"Simply because I have no need for a slaying weapon like a sword. The Mystical Staff does a wonderful job defensively, which is what I like. It is a decent incapacitating weapon, as well. I just need whatever foe I face to be unable to pursue me any further."

Lucas paused. Then added, "besides, if I ever feel the need to use lethal force to dispatch of enemies, my magical powers are more than suffice, and much more efficient than any sword."

That statement sent a shiver up Ness's spine. He remembered the 5 mercenaries that were knocked out cold by magic back in the Throne room. They had been apprehended and put into dungeons by guards soon after, Lucas vaguely telling Ness that he would 'deal with them' later on.

This meant that the spell Lucas used was not at its highest power. Heck, Ness's _Rockin' _spell had almost killed a grown man. Magic at its full power was definitely more lethal than any single Knight or even siege machine. Ness could only imagine the carnage Lucas caused during his retaking of Murasaki and Sunshine.

But it was just so damn hard to imagine the handsome, innocent looking Lucas in the middle of battle, slaying hordes of enemies with his spellcasting. If anything makes Ness uncomfortable around his blonde friend, it's the fact that he could shred anyone that gets on his bad side in the blink of an eye if he so wishes.

-01210-

An innkeeper named Sir Jackson, or as his friends and customers affectionately called him, Jackie, was wiping the counter of his reception desk. He was a tall person, with no hair on his head, and his eyebrows were always raised in a manner that made him look forever forlorn.

Jackie was a successful entrepreneur, having built his Yado Inn from scratch, and developed it into a well regarded and successful temporary housing for weary travellers and merchants. He was wealthy, but above all, respected, even by Noblemen and Royalty of the Nowhere Kingdom.

It was nearing dusk, the time when most travellers sign in to stay for the night at the homely Yado, so Jackie was preparing his business to receive the guests.

The squeak of his front doors indicated that the first guest of the night has arrived. A rather fat man came up to the counter. He had beady eyes, an eye-drawing black moustache, and a very large nose. He wore strangely out of place clothing. A disk like hat with a long white cloth extending from it that covered all of the man's hair, a long sleeve white garment, with a brown leather vest over it, matching white pants and brown shoes, and a belt with a shiny bronze buckle.

"Good evening, and welcome to Tazmily Estate's Yado Inn. My name is Sir Jackson. Shall I help accommodate you to one of our fine rooms?" Jackson recited in his crisp voice.

"Ah, what a fine Inn this is!" The man said rather loudly, rather exuberantly. "Why never in my years have I seen such a well kept and homely Inn such as this one!" He spoke with an accent that Jackie couldn't quite place, and Jackie was familiar with all manners of accents from travellers all over the land.

"I am pleased to hear you speak such generosities of my Yado." Jackie said happily. "Now, would you like me to reserve a room for you?"

"It would be an honour for me to reside here!" The man nodded, a large grin on his face. "Please, call me Fassad. I am a merchant hailing from the Minch Kingdom."

_Minch Kingdom huh? I rarely see people come here from Minch. _ Sir Jackson thought. "Well then, Fassad of the Minch Kingdom, how may I help you?"

"I am on an extended trip here in wonderful Tazmily Estate, so I would like you to graciously reserve one of your comfortable rooms to me for the next 3 weeks, please."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, even further than it already was raised, that is. It was rare to have merchants request for extended stays, as the rooming was expensive for such a long time. But he did not question it. "3 weeks it is then. Do you have any material possessions that require specialized care, such as horses or carts?"

"Why yes, I do. Would you be able to provide good care for my 4 steeds and 4 merchandise carts?"

In total, that was quite a bit of stuff. Then again, to be expected if this man Fassad was staying here for 3 weeks. "We shall take care of them, you've no need to worry." Jackie nodded to one of his employees, a beautiful lady called Tessie, and she promptly headed out to tend to Fassad's requests.

Jackie did some calculations on a piece of parchment. "Your total for accommodations, plus holding and guarding for your merchandise, and care for your horses, comes to 1300 Dragon Points." Quite a hefty amount, for anyone.

Except Fassad, it seems. "Oh my! Such a generous offer! So inexpensive!" There was no sarcasm in Fassad's voice either. Jackie was surprised. No one had ever told him he charged less than he should have.

"My dear Sir Jackson, tell me, how do you make such a living charging so leniently for your clients?" Fassad inquired.

Jackie thought about it. His earnings from paying customers mostly went to monthly property tariffs. In Tazmily Estate, space was limited, as the Estate could only expand so much on a peninsula, so land taxes were quite significant. The rest were split between expenses for supplies and food for maintaining the Inn, and pay for his workers. Even after all that, he was left a decent amount to himself, enough to make him a wealthy man.

"I do well enough. I am happy with my business."

"And I am joyous to hear that, my friend." Fassad nodded. He then leaned close. "But tell me, do you think that you can be even more well off, even happier than you are right now?"

Could he? Jackie was wealthy, but certainly not the richest in Nowhere. There certainly were things that could be done to make him even happier.

"Well..." But he wasn't sure what.

"Ah, so there is the possibility that you could be happier." Fassad said. "And isn't it the sole duty of the King and his Kingdom to make his citizens as happy as possible?"

That did make sense. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, my friend, that is why I am here! I am here to inspire change and happiness in the Nowhere Kingdom! To make sure that all can be as happy as possible living their lives! To make sure that people don't have to suffer paying ridiculous property taxes, or not being recognized for the work that they put in!" Fassad seemed unnaturally happy himself.

The majority of his income was sucked away by property taxes. Jackie smiled at the large man in front of him. "You are doing a noble deed, traveler from Minch."

"Thank you. Oh, and of course, here is my payment for your generosity." Fassad reached behind his wide belly, and pulled out a large bag full of jingling objects. He put it on the table, and Jackie's eyes widened.

It was the most Dragon Points he had ever seen in one place. The golden coins shined under the Inn's candlelight. It was more than enough to cover Fassad's expenses. It was enough to cover him for the next 3 _months._

"I...I cannot accept..." Jackie stuttered.

"You most certainly can! This is the kind of money you should be earning, without the property taxes! King Porky is kind to all his citizens in Minch Kingdom, so I have excess DP to give you! Do you not think that your King Lucas should extend the same courtesy to you?"

Jackie's eyes were transfixed on the glittering DP. "Yes...yes he should!"

"Precisely." Fassad's eyes flashed in disgust at the man's greed, but Jackie didn't notice. "Now then, I think I shall be heading to my room, I have quite a day ahead of me tomorrow! Can you please direct me to where I shall stay?"

"Oh...oh! Of course! My apologies..."

Jackie watched as Fassad walked briskly to the room that he was directed to. He turned back to the large bag of DP that the traveller paid to him. He slowly put the money under the counter, glad that he was finally getting the wealth that he should've achieved a long time ago.

-01210-

It was a breathtaking sight, to say the least. King Lucas had led Ness to the top of the outside wall surrounding the Castle, to the side that faced the ocean. The young Noble watched the water glisten and flash like jewels from the light of the setting sun. He could make out some stars already appearing in the sky.

Ness came to the Castle with Fuel during noon of that day. It has been quite an afternoon.

"Amazing view aside, why did you bring me up here, Lucas?"

"You wanted to learn more about magic. I wanted to bring you to a calming place, where you can effectively focus."

Ness looked out over the battlements to the ocean. Here, the only sound present was the faint crashing of waves against the bluffs. The chatter of Tazmily Estate could barely be heard. If there ever was a place on the hectic Tazmily Peninsula that was calming, it would be here.

"I come here often when I want to relax, and sever myself from the day to day rabble." Lucas said. He took a long, deep breath, and exhaled.

Ness copied him. Inhale...exhale. It really did seem like he was detached from the urban environment here.

"So tell me, Ness, how was it that you first discovered you possessed magical powers?"

The answer came easily. "It was a funny story, really. I was still young, and naive. My friends and I were throwing a ball of yarn around. One of them threw it at me, but it was too far to reach. But I really wanted to catch it, and that's when the ball of string curved towards me, into my reach and letting me catch it. At first, we dismissed it as a trick of the eye, but when we replicated the situation, and I managed to do it again, it became obvious that I was a magic user."

Lucas smiled warmly. "Often times, mages discover their abilities through willpower. They will something to go their way, and it unlocks the dormant powers within their mind."

"Was that how you discovered yours as well?"

"Indeed."

The two friends watched the waving water.

"Ness."

"Hm."

"You are not from this land, are you?"

"...no, I am not. How did you know?"

"There are hints that I can detect. Magic power originating from this land has its own kind of...identity, if you will." Lucas held up a hand, and a green glow appeared, shimmering on his palm. A simple healing spell, Ness easily recognized.

"When you used your power, I did not recognize the 'identity' that your magic affiliated with." Lucas continued. Ness held up a hand, and the green glow of the healing spell appeared shimmering on his palm as well. But now that he compared his healing spell with Lucas's, he saw that it was ever so slightly different. His was a darker shade of green. Even the way it shimmered in his hand seemed deviant from the blonde's.

"...and you were able to detect the difference? Is that hard to do?" asked Ness.

"With experience, no. But magic can be used to sense many things. The most basic, and the one that you probably have experienced the most, is recognizing spells being casted by others."

Ness nodded. It made sense of how he knew the names of the spells that he saw...and felt Lucas cast back in the Throne room. _Shield. _And...

"Lucas?"

"Yes."

"What is _Love_?"

Lucas put his hands behind his back, smiling. He feigned ignorance. "Are you talking about the emotion or the name of my spell?"

Ness rolled his violet eyes. "Your spell. Why must you be so difficult around me."

The young King chuckled. "The two are actually intimately related. The origin of my power in my _Love _spell is from the mysterious and magnificent emotion of the same name."

"...does that mean the force of _Love _is based on how powerful your...erm...love is?"

"...that is correct in essentials." Lucas turned to meet the eyes of his student. "Tell me Ness, what is your resolve for casting your _Rockin' _spell?"

"My resolve?" Ness repeated, a bit thrown off.

"Yes. What goes through your mind when you successfully cast your destructive power?"

The answer came without hesitation. Without the need to even look for it. Ness knew exactly what goes through his mind as he charges up _Rockin'._

"To protect those I care about. To do my very best to achieve my goals."

Lucas nodded, as if he received the answer he was expecting. "Excellent."

"...what?"

The young King turned to look up at the growing number of stars. "You and I are a bit different from most spellcasters, at least the ones I know of. And that is because of our ability to control and utilize magical power in its rawest form, its most pure state.

"The names _Rockin' _and _Love_ are symbolic, almost like if we were to describe ourselves in one word, it would be those two terms. And don't worry if you don't know what _Rockin' _means. A word does not have to have a set meaning to describe something, otherwise humans would be painfully simple creatures. That is why you will never be able to find the name of our spells written in a book, or used again by someone else. It is unique to our individual persons."

The temperature was beginning to drop with the sun. Lucas continued. "The Elemental spells, Freeze, Fire, Thunder, and other Assist spells such as Offence Up or Flash, are a manifestation of magical powers. In other words, magic not in its purest form, but transformed to perform a certain task by the mage. They are formed, moulded into existence by the caster's emotions, which are reflective of the sense of purpose they have at the moment. But magic in its purest form cannot be casted like that. This is the main difference between other mages and us. While they utilize their magic through their emotions, we utilize ours through our _resolve."_

Lucas put a hand on Ness's shoulder. "And I am glad that your resolve is one of good intention. Your power can only go up from here."

Ness was right about his assumption of Lucas. The first time he looked into the young King's deep blue eyes, he thought he saw the wisdom and experience of one much, much older than a mere 14 year old.

"But we can also cast Assist spells, right, since _Healing, Shield, _and _Hypnosis _fall under those categories, am I correct?"

"Of course. If we so wished, we could learn any of the regular offensive spells such as Thunder as well. But you will find that your _Rockin' _would more than suffice for any offensive power you may find yourself needing."

As he stood there, on top of the Castle walls, watching the sun set, Ness more certain now than anything that he was glad to be friends with the King...no, not just the King, but with Lucas. The blonde was easy to talk to, wise, and charismatic. To Ness, it didn't matter if he carried secrets that he didn't want to reveal. He was just glad to have his mutual friendship.

But it still would be nice to know a bit more about him. "Lucas."

"Yes."

"What is your resolve?"

Lucas sighed, not in frustration or annoyance. It almost sounded sad. "Let me share a bit of wisdom that I have come to learn with you, Ness."

"Oh, okay."

"...love is a feeling that is as painful as it is wonderful. Love is neutral. Love has no allegiance, no good or bad. This is what makes it a tricky emotion."

"...how so?"

"Because how much you love will also be how painful it becomes. Please know that I am not discouraging you to love. The world would be a sad, sad place without it. If you wish, you can love someone all you want. You can tear out your heart for them, and it still may not express the unconditional, unchanging love you have for them. But you just have to realize the dangers of it.

"The world is a cruel place. If you're not careful, your love will turn around and hurt you worse than any physical pain, so much so that sometimes you want to die, just for the pain to stop. You have to make sure that you are as strong as your love. So you can withstand the pain. You must not let your love blind you, lead you astray, because there is nothing in the world more pitiful than a person who is being guided by his love, unknowing that it is leading him down a path to Hell."

Even though he did not fully comprehend what Lucas had told him, Ness knew that his friend was doing more than simply giving him advice. He wished Lucas would open up, tell him more about his life.

"But enough of that," Lucas said, voice suddenly a bit cheerier. "We came here to work on your magic."

"...umm, right."

"Okay. If you haven't figured it out yet: because you can use _Rockin',_ your magical powers are very much above average, you just haven't discovered its full potential yet."

Ness liked the idea of having hidden powers that are yet to be discovered.

"With a heightened reserve of magic power, also comes a heightened awareness of things that you usually would not pick up with only your equipped senses." Lucas explained. "Detecting magic is just one. Another would be detecting emotions. That should be something that you have also experienced."

"Yeah, with you, actually," Ness pointed out, referring to when he first found out Lucas was the King of Nowhere.

"Exactly. Usually the hints are subtle, but if interpreted right, you can tell what a person is feeling without searching their body language or face for hints, or listening for underlying tones in their speech."

Lucas tilted his head, smirking deliberately. "However, people with strong wills can close off their mind completely, giving off no hints to what they are feeling at all."

Ness blanked, but then also loosened into a smirk. "Then can I trust you to tell me what you are feeling, if I want to know?"

"Maybe."

"Tch."

The sun was almost completely down now, and the back of Ness's mind was telling him to go home for dinner. But he did not want to leave just yet.

"Perhaps the most important power you possess, is the ability to detect _life._" Lucas put a strong emphasis on that word. "You would be surprised at the range of detection you have. A strong spellcaster like you should be able to sense life as far away as the fringes of Nowhere Kingdom."

"Really?" This was pleasantly surprising. Being able to sense as far as the eye can see, perhaps further.

"Yes indeed. Without training, however, you would be hard pressed to find the exact location of a certain life signature. There are certain signatures that should stand out to you, such as the people you are close to, like friends or family. Other mages who are not obscuring their presence will be easily sensed as well."

_The power to find the people you care about. Very useful indeed._ Ness deliberated.

"Attempt it."

"...what?"

"Try it out, experience what it feels like."

Ness was uncertain. "H-here? Now? But..."

"This is why I brought you to such a serene and calming place. To help you shut out distractions, to wash away uncertainty." Lucas said patiently.

Ness inhaled...and exhaled. "Alright. I'll have a go at it."

"Good. Close your eyes, and clear your mind of everything but your objective. Do not limit yourself, stretch as far as your magical senses allow you. Take in the signatures of life from everywhere..." Lucas instructed.

Ness did what he was told. Being regularly an energetic person who has trouble sitting still for too long, he was surprised at how easily the calmness came to him. He shut his utilitarian senses off, and reached out with his magic. He was conscious of his powers growing, spreading.

And he felt it. _Life. _It was as if each living organism was glowing in his mind.

Lucas was the brightest, being right beside him. A massive conglomeration of glows clouded his senses. Tazmily Estate at its finest. A few of them stood out to him however. Adjusting his powers to focus on them, he felt, with a strangely warm and proud feeling, the very discernible life glows of his mother and sister Tracy. He even felt the presence of some of his friends, the most obvious being Jeff, who was right in the middle of the Tazmily blob, and Fuel, who was quite close to him distance wise. He grinned in his head when he felt the unique signature of his fond Lady friend, Nana.

Ness moved past Tazmily, sharpening his senses to better pick up those farther away in the Kingdom. Ionia must be hiding herself, because Ness couldn't feel her life, but he did catch a glimpse of Sir Lighter. Continuing to move outwards, faster than any horse could travel, he detected some scattered groups of glows, probably just sparse settlements and villages. The glows slowly dimmed with distance. As Ness began to reach the edges of his power's capability, his sense of direction and location blurred dramatically. He now had no idea where he was in the Kingdom.

At the very edge of his range, he felt a pretty big gathering of glows. Perhaps another Estate. He tried to go further, straining his powers, but could not.

He was about to leave this calming state and open his eyes when he felt a very distinctive life glow, on the absolute edge of his range. He adjusted, diverting his attention to this intriguing glow. There was something strange about it. Something was familiar about this glow's specific signature. Something very, _very _familiar. He tried to match it with the people he knew, the people he was close to.

There was one match. A fair face, crystal blue eyes, platinum blonde hair. _It couldn't be...it is...IT IS!_

Ness's eyes snapped open with a gasp.

"Paula!"

-21012-

Disclaimer: Have you figured it out yet? I don't own the Mother series.

As this story begins to pick up, and gets into the main plot, expect more chapters to be like this one. Because there is always the awkward moment where you want the story to progress so much in one chapter, but simply cannot keep it very short.

Character development will be the main theme of this Fic. As the plot goes on, you'll find that Lucas is less 'out of character' than you think, and Ness will also undergo pretty serious changes. In a lot of ways, this Fic is a representation of my interpretation of the Mother characters,_ after_ what happened in their respective stories. I like overthinking things. It's fun.

I do read and appreciate reviews. Thanks for reading. See you in (#) chapters.


	12. 11 Memories of a Painful Past

"_But Maaaaaaaa... Lord knows there is no way for me to fall asleep now!"_

"_No Paula, you need to go on to bed, we have to rise with the sun tomorrow if we wish to make it to Church. The Lord won't be so forgiving if you miss it thrice in a row."_

"_You can't blame me! Ness and I were simply spending as much time together as possible before he goes back to his hometown!"_

"_Honey I know you like spending time with him very much, but we must uphold family values. I'm sure the Lord is happy to see you so joyous in your time as a mortal, but He would be much happier if you visit His house and acknowledge all He has done for you."_

"_I suppose..."_

"_Don't worry my child, Ness does not live very far, he already takes every opportune moment to come visit you when his parents allow it."_

"_Yeah, I know! He's so one of a kind, not like the rest of the filthy savages at the academy."_

"_He is certainly a gentleman, very appropriate for a lady such as yourself. Now, off to bed."_

"_Yes Ma."_

"_Goodnight, Paula."_

"_Good night. See you in the morning."_

When Paula woke up, she was not lying on her comfortable bed, in her huge house. She was not wearing her silk nightgown. And her mother was certainly not anywhere even remotely near her.

Instead she was lying on a rough bed made of dirty straw. She was inside a bleak, damp, and dimly lit stone dungeon, and she was wearing a torn and dust covered used-to-be white rag that was now her daily attire. And her mother? Hopefully still alive back in Eagleland. While she was here, on the other side of the ocean, a meager and expendable slave toiling in the Murasaki mines.

Paula lay groggily on her straw bed, listening for activity around her. The young girl was in pitiable condition. Her normally shiny platinum blonde locks were matted and knotted, her plump face bony and scratched, her body overly skinny, but strangely toned from constant physical labour.

It took her a while to set her bearings, and she remembered, with a silent sigh, how she when from a pampered young girl to _this._

"_Mama?"_

"_Yes dearie."_

"_Is what they say true? Am I going to hell for being a mage?"_

"_Of course not, Paula dear. God blessed you with your abilities, He trusted that you would use it to enlighten our world with them. You are one of the kindest people to have walked this earth. When you do die, the Lord will welcome you into His domain with open arms."_

"_Do you really think so?"_

"_I know so."_

"_..."_

"_..."_

"_Mama?"_

"_Yes dearie."_

"_What will happen if they find me?"_

"_They won't find you. We've told no one back in Deuxson where we're going, we've left nary a shred of evidence that you were ever there. Papa and I will make sure you are hidden."_

"_But what if they do search me out?"_

"_Hush now, child, I promise they will not."_

"_..."_

"_..."_

"_Mama?"_

"_Yes dearie."_

"_Ness is a magic user like me as well. Do you think he will be alright?"_

"_I'm sure he's heading where we are as well. His mother is a shrewd woman, she will get Ness and Tracy safely out of this accursed Empire."_

"_But why have they started hunting and killing us mages now? We've always lived in harmony, we've even used our powers to help others. I remember once I helped light my friend Pommey Enfant's fireplace during that really cold winter storm."_

"_Sometimes, unfortunate things happen to good people. But worry not, God will come in and punish those who seek to hurt the innocent, and save His loyal subjects."_

It seemed like a disgustingly cruel joke now. If the Lord truly did care for those who act in kindness in His world, then why was Paula, the shining star of all kind people, stranded in some uncivilized foreign Kingdom, forced to live like a caged animal, scrabbling at the walls for clay?

She sat up, took a few deep breaths, and checked her surroundings.

But not with her eyes.

The extra senses that came with being a mage told her the fat sweaty carcass that was her slave driver was still asleep in his quarters, which means the sun wasn't up yet. She wouldn't know. She lived 50 metres underground.

Paula hated her slave driver.

She hated the way he would go out of his way to abuse his charges, stalking the mines with his whip, laughing and the discomfort and pain that he brought the slaves.

She hated what he would do to _her_.

Paula was a rare pretty face in these bleak mines. She was a beautiful young 14 year old. And this did not go unnoticed by the slave driver. One day, he took her out of the mines, and into his own house. At first Paula thought that her nightmare would be over, and she was being released, but all thought was replaced by utter terror as she was forced onto a bed, and stripped down to her skin...

Where was her God? Why didn't He do anything?

It had hurt. It had hurt worse than anything she felt in her life. A pain that was tingled with humiliation and hate, a pain that would haunt her for many nights. He had not taken pity on her. She had been dragged back to her post, and forced to continue her work. The blood stained in front of her rag never washed out.

When the mines' proprietor found out, he naturally banned any further sort of this action, but that didn't stop the driver from constantly touching and harassing the young girl every time they came into contact. Initially all Paula felt was fear, fear that he would hurt her again. But eventually that fear turned into cold, raw hatred.

Paula smirked humourlessly at the memory as she sat up from her hay bed, and futilely brushed off her crude attire.

The most vivid part of that piece of memory was how as the scene played out, there was one person who Paula called out to for help, for comfort as her life fell to its absolute low.

"Ness..."

"_Ness!"_

"_Don't worry, Paula, it's going to be alright."_

"_No it won't! Ma and Pa! Why are Ma and Pa not on this ship with us?"_

"_Because you are more important to them...oh please don't cry Paula...please, it'll be fine. God will guide us through, as you always say, right? There's not enough space on here for more people. They sent you so you can be safe. I promise, I will take care of you. My mother, father, and sister will take care of you, and when this whole incident blows over, we'll come back to see them again..."_

"_...promise?"_

"_Promise."_

"_Ness?"_

"_Yeah Paula?"_

"_Where are we going?"_

"_...I don't know. Anywhere but here, I guess. But wherever we end up, we'll be fine."_

"_I'm afraid."_

"_...yeah, me too to be honest."_

"_Really? Ness? Afraid? Perish the thought."_

"_Even at a time like this you find the energy to annoy me?"_

"_Yes."_

"_...whatever..."_

"_..."_

"_..."_

"_Ness?"_

"_What is it?"_

"_I'm really glad you're here with me."_

"_...I am as well."_

Where was Ness now? Probably dead on the ocean floor somewhere along with the rest. It was sad, but it was the truth. And there was no use crying in denial over the truth.

But Paula has changed in her 4 years as a slave.

She held up a rusty palm.

A huge flash of searing orange, and there, sitting on her hand, was a flickering ball of fire. The room turned so hot that had Paula not protected herself and the hay she sleeps on, everything would be incinerated into fine ash.

Gone was the innocent, kind eyed little girl.

Another flash, this time frigid blue, and the fireball on her palm was replaced by a large crackling snowflake. The temperature immediately dropped into the other end of the spectrum, now the room was so cold that anyone walking in would immediately freeze over.

Gone was the helpless and dependant little girl.

One more flash, this time pure white, and the snowflake turned into a small orb of electricity that arched to her fingers, and onto the surrounding walls.

Gone was the hopeful and optimistic little girl.

She had long learned that God was not going to help her. God was content with sitting back and watching His creations suffer.

If she wanted to be saved, she had to save herself.

She felt the presence of her slave driver starting to move. She closed her palm, and the bright thunder ball disappeared with a snap, leaving the room in darkness.

Soon she would make her move. She would get herself out of this hellhole, and then somehow find a way to make it back to the Eagleland Empire, and find her parents.

And destroy everyone who got in her way.

God help anyone who dares to do so.

-01210-

The sun was now completely swallowed by the ocean. The starlight seemed to gleam silver on Ness's obsidian hair, at least the parts that weren't hidden by the feathered hat he still wore.

King Lucas leaned back on the battlement and listened patiently as Ness began his story to explain where he came from, and who Paula Polestar is.

"Like you figured, I'm not native to this land. I come from a place called the Eagleland Empire. It's a monarchy, much like the Kingdoms here, but more sophisticated, with a larger and more diverse political caste. It was also religion dominated, by a belief system called Catholicism."

Ness pointed straight out at the ocean horizon. "It's located somewhere at the end of this vast watery expanse. At least that's what Tracy and I figure when we visit the shore."

Lucas nodded. "So there are inhabited lands across this ocean. And you, and your family I presume, are living proof of that."

Ness turned and rested his back against the battlement as well, putting his hands in his pockets. "Have you not sent any exploration ships? Come to think of it, there's only a few small docks in all of Tazmily Estate, and the biggest ship is no larger than my house. Why is that?"

"Nowhere and its surrounding Kingdoms have little need for trade on the water. There are not a lot of rivers that lead to nearby settlements near the Kingdom, and trade routes on land more than suffice the needs of merchants."

Lucas peeled off the stone battlement, and pointed into the horizon like Ness had done. "Look as far as you can to where the sky meets the water."

Ness complied. "What am I looking for?"

"Storm clouds."

Blinking a few times, he strained his violet eyes to try to find these elusive clouds. And soon enough, he saw them, albeit barely, as they were absolutely miniscule and quite faint, being a very long distance away. The night provided little light to work with as well.

"Yeah, I see them."

"Those, are a chain of storms that stretch across this ocean, called the Devil's Pass."

A light sea breeze gently ruffled the two boys' hair.

"In the past, my father's ancestors, former Kings of Nowhere, have sent large, well built ships out into the open ocean, with exploration teams on board. Every time, they were met with those non ceasing storms, and every time, they were forced to turn back. No way was found through the Devil's Pass, and whatever lay on the other side of them remained undiscovered by us."

They turned back to lean against the battlements again.

"This brings us back to your tale, Ness. You can imagine I now have a lot more questions in my mind that I hope you would be able to answer. Please continue."

_The Devil's Pass, huh..._ If that storm system was the same one that brought down the ship Ness was aboard, then everything made good sense. But he took care to start from the beginning for Lucas.

"As I was saying, Eagleland, for the most part during my short life there, was peaceful, stable, and thriving. I lived a good life in my small village of Unett. Then came turmoil. I was too young to understand exactly how it initiated, but suddenly magic users like myself and thousands of others in the Empire were being prosecuted and excommunicated from the Church and land.

"That wouldn't have been so bad, but as mages protested against this sudden and unjust treatment, they simply began to hunt us down and publicly killing us." Ness's tone was an uncharacteristic bitter one. "Non-mage prosecutors far outnumbered us mages and our supporters, so we were left with little option but to flee.

"But by this point they were not content with driving us from our homes either. They began to net us in. They sealed all possible escape routes, trapping the mages in their Empire for their eventual slaughter."

Lucas's face remained stoic.

Ness's tone grew stronger and darker with each word. "Left with little choice, some more accomplished mages joined a resistance group led by someone named Giygas. Others, mostly younger ones, took the only available option to escape left to us. By ship.

"But with only so many ships in mage supporters' control, not everyone could make it. I was one of the lucky ones, me and my whole family, save my poor dog, got on board...Paula wasn't as fortunate."

There was a lull in Ness's story. Nothing but the steady sound of saltwater sloshing onto the rocks was heard from on top of the Castle wall.

"What does Paula mean to you, Ness?"

"...she was my best friend. Despite living in two different towns in Eagleland, she resided in Deuxson, we always found time to be together. There was something different about her, she was not at all like the oversensitive, shrill girls in my school. We got along so well. I think I even made her miss Church once or twice, heh."

Lucas could tell that Ness cherished these memories from the way he talked about Paula, and the spaced out look on his face. It seems everyone had loved ones in their past that they somehow lost.

"During the genocide, Paula made it to the pier late, and there was no more space left on our ship, but her parents begged the captain to take on one more, to which he agreed. Paula managed to get on without her parents. She cried for days after. I had promised to take care of her in lieu of her Ma and Pa.

"Unfortunately, the sons of pigs caught onto our plan, and sent battleships to intercept us from sailing out of the Empire, so we were forced into the open ocean, hoping to find another place to land..."

"...and that's when you hit the storm." Lucas figured.

Ness sighed solemnly. "We've been out on the water for a week, we were running low on supplies. So the captain risked it. Unfortunately things didn't work out. With the ship overweight with people as it was, it didn't take long for it to capsize."

The ocean was calm here, near the shores of Tazmily, but Lucas knew it was probably a very different scene in the heart of the Devil's Pass.

"It was horrible, the wind blowing, the freezing rain, the freezing _water_, the cries and sounds of people yelling for help and their loved ones, all while trying to stay afloat in the rough ocean." Ness instinctively wrapped his arms around himself. "The sky was dark as night, save for a few flashes of lightning, and I couldn't hear anything above the sound of the storm and cries of help. I was yelling my throat sore myself.

"But my parents managed to find a smaller boat that was stored inside the ship, and they picked me and Tracy out. The boat was so small, my family could barely fit on it, we couldn't take on anymore people...the others in the water were yelling at us to save them, pleading, crying...but we couldn't, so father rowed us away from the wreck...they started cursing at us, telling us they wished we died...but it wasn't...it wa...it..."

"It _wasn't _your fault." Lucas said, suddenly right beside the young black haired mage. "There is no point in feeling survivors' guilt. You saved yourselves, that's all that truly matters."

Ness hiccupped. "...a...afterwards, I remembered Paula. I didn't see her in the crowds of people in the ocean when the boat sank. I grieved, thinking I lost her, that I left her behind. But it turns out, that is not the case after all." He finished, slightly brighter.

King Lucas put a hand on Ness's shoulder. "I think I remember a bit of the news spreading around 4 years back, about a family that was found washed up on shore, soaked in clothes that aren't native to anyplace near here. That was your family. You made it."

Ness faced Lucas, eyes shimmering a bit, as if he didn't quite believe it himself. "Yeah, we made it."

The King smiled. He certainly has been smiling a lot today. "Thank you for sharing your tale with me, my friend. I know it was hard for you to relive some of those memories, but above all that, you should be proud that you lived through an experience that the hardiest of Knights would never face, and that you have managed to find yourself a better life here, in my Kingdom."

Pride was something Ness was not lacking in, but it still felt good hearing it from others.

"So tell me, Ness, what is normal life in Eagleland like?"

Ness grinned at the curious King. "It was spectacular. Life here in Nowhere is great, but life back in my home was fantastic while it lasted. No offense to you, my Lord."

"Absolutely none taken. I am always looking for ways to improve the Kingdom."

"Well, Eagleland was more...I think advanced would be a more or less proper term. Our Empire had large, wide roads paved with fine stone, large poles that carried oil burning street lights, and horses that pulled elegant carriages. Our towns and cities were laid out in a grid fashion, the buildings were pieces of art, each and every one, intricately carved fitting with the renaissance idealism."

Ness looked over at some sentries standing guard over the Castle wall. "Even weaponry was more advanced. Sure we had swords and shields, but we also carried something called guns, and had cannons for artillery instead of catapults. Those work at a range that shames bows and arrows, and are absolutely lethal if they hit.

"Too bad the only time I saw them used was against mages and their supporters..."

For Lucas, it was hard to imagine a civilisation that has managed to exceed that of Nowhere Kingdom, which to him, was the most advanced and well planned Kingdom in the land. But he did not doubt Ness's word. It filled his head with imagery, large, paved streets with horses pulling carriages, lights specifically for the roads burning something called oil, large, elegant buildings, weapons that far outmatch Nowhere army's arsenal...splendid indeed.

"Ness, what exactly did they do to the mages that they manage to catch?"

"..."

Lucas thought Ness's silence meant that he was not going to get an answer. He didn't press the point.

"...they mutilated them."

He frowned, surprised at the how much venom Ness's voice carried.

"Magic users they caught, no matter how young, were publicly destroyed in front of crowds of people. They did everything, from pulling apart their limbs, to tying and burning them at the stake. I remember running into an execution of a 6 year young child, during which they cut open his stomach and tore out his innards, while he was still alive..."

The King of Nowhere was not one to squirm at grotesque images, he merely deepened his frown.

"They went to such ridiculous lengths sometimes just for one mage." Ness continued darkly. "In a town called Troised, they brought in the army, and began destroying buildings and abducting people left and right, just to flush out an elder mage. I was caught in the midst of that destruction, as my family was visiting the town. We ran through the streets, while buildings quite literally crumbled around us. I had even tripped over a few bloody corpses..."

And he saw all of this when he was barely 10 years of age. And all of a sudden things made more sense to Lucas. All that death, all that graphic destruction and cruel murder, it was too much for some grown men to handle, never mind a child like Ness was. War was not a pretty sight. It was ugly, raw, brutal, and traumatizing.

Ness had good reason to avoid having anything to do with it. Lucas felt sympathy for his young friend as he deciphered Ness's personality, through his past.

"Ness."

"...hmm?"

"Paula is still alive."

"...she is."

"Are you going to try to find her?"

Strangely the thought had not even occurred to Ness yet, as he was so caught up in the basic fact that Paula was even alive and somewhere in this land, perhaps this Kingdom.

But the answer did not need second guessing.

"With all my power, I will." He said in the confident, strong voice that others always identified Ness with.

"How do you plan to start?"

"Uhh..." Unfortunately, jumping right into the fray with no plan of action was also what others always identified Ness with.

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle. "You told me that you sensed Paula on the edge of your range, but had no inkling of direction or distance from here."

"...yeah..." Ness rubbed the back of his head. Nowhere Kingdom itself was already an absolutely huge piece of land, and unless he could clue in to at least the general direction Paula was at, he could become hopelessly lost. He also had to consider that Nowhere was separated into two by the mountain range, so if he ended up on the wrong side, it would end up taking a lot longer. There was also no guarantee that Paula would stay where she was for too long...

Ness suddenly shook his head, trying to chase off the forming doubt in his mind. _If I'm going to find Paula, I can't hesitate, I have to be strong. But where to start..._

"I have an idea for where you can start." Lucas cut in.

_People need to stop doing that... _"What do you suggest?"

"Train with me."

Ness blinked. "Huh?"

"I can help you sharpen your already impressive senses, strengthen your magical abilities. I can train you into a better fighter, a more complete spellcaster. One who can pinpoint the location of anyone from anywhere in the Kingdom."

That was a very attractive offer indeed. Coming from the King of the Kingdom, no less. It would be almost unthinkable to turn it down.

"But, don't you have to attend to your daily...kingly duties?"

Lucas snorted. "Worry not. I'll make time."

"But...why are you so willing to help me?"

Those incredible blue eyes stared directly into Ness's own purple ones.

"Because I've never met anyone else so deserving of my help."

Silence. The sound of the ocean crashing into the rocks below.

"...what can I do in return?"

"Be a good pupil. Try to the best of your ability."

More silence. Water crashing into rocks.

"I'll do it."

Lucas merely nodded. "Once you agree to it, you cannot back out. Remember your resolve, Sir Ness. It will certainly lead you to lady Paula, and any other goals you will have in the future."

"I will not forget." He certainly won't. Ness could feel power flowing smoothly under his skin as he set his determined mind to one goal. Paula was still alive. He would find her. He would keep his promise.

The young King looked up at the star clouded sky. Not a rare sight on clear nights, but mesmerizing nonetheless.

"You should get going. I will inform you of our first training session. It's quite late, and your mother will worry. I don't want her to think that I've done something to you." He teased.

Ness scoffed. But he really should get going. It's been a long day, and he was getting famished. "I suppose."

"And before I forget, I would duly appreciate if you would look over the new law to be voted on in 2 days time, the First Response Aggression Act. Even though I've been told politics aren't the foremost interest for you."

"Heh, no they are not. But I'll spare a glance. As thanks for helping me work on my powers."

"Well enough. Just ask any guard you see, and he shall lead you to the front gates."

"Got it." Ness started to jog slowly along the wall away from King Lucas.

He stopped after a few steps, paused, and turned around to face Lucas.

"Lucas."

"Yes, my friend."

The black haired young Noble swiped his hat off his head, and dropped to one knee, bowing deeply and sincerely.

"I am honoured to have met your Majesty in person, and had the privilege of spending time to personally know you better. I thank your Majesty from the bottom of my heart for sharing your wisdom with the likes of me, and helping me rediscover purpose and confidence in my life. Thank you very much, my Lord."

Although Ness's actions and speech surprised Lucas greatly, he felt return a heartwarming and content sensation that had been long lost on his poor soul.

"It has been a pleasure, Sir Ness, Nobleman of Tazmily Estate, Representative of the Eagleland Empire. I wish you a pleasant evening."

Ness beamed at him. he sprang up, and jogged over to a sentry standing guard on the wall. Soon Lucas was watching the guard lead Ness back into the Palace, on their way to the front gates.

The young King turned with his hands behind his back to look out over the calm ocean again. He could see an occasional flash in the far horizon as the Devil's Pass raged on.

"Have the mercenaries been secured in our cells?" Lucas asked to seemingly no one.

"They have, my Lord." Sir Duster's voice came from right next to him. Had it not been King Lucas, Duster would've caught them by complete surprise with his presence.

"Good. They shall prove to be useful in the near future. Even though they were a bit more...misbehaved than I first expected."

"Indeed."

"They would've been disappointed even if they killed me. Deimos Fleance has long died by my hand. He _has _died, right?"

"Of course, you doubt my abilities, my Lord?"

"Never."

Duster chuckled. "You played a dangerous game with Sir Ness today, my Lord."

Lucas turned to glare at Duster. The young King was quite tall for his age, but was still dwarfed by the Advisor. Yet he still managed to look intimidating even when looking up at someone.

"You've heard quite a bit of our conversation. Tell me what you thought."

"You spoke in riddles the whole night, my Lord, though I don't expect Sir Ness to figure them out any time soon. Though I can tell that Ness took every word you said to heart, even if he didn't completely understand them."

Lucas nodded. There was another person that had been close by during his chat with Ness. "What about you Fuel, what did you think?"

"I think that if you weren't born destined for the Throne, you would've done well as a philosopher." Fuel chirped as he walked up to the pair from Lucas's other side. "Don't you agree, Duster?"

"Very much so, Master Fuel. He's certainly grown up from the young innocent Prince Lucas of long ago."

"You mean that crybaby child?"

"The very same one."

"The coddled little boy?"

"Don't forget helpless."

"Lazy."

"Incompetent."

"Naive."

"Soft."

"Always second best to-"

"Enough!" Lucas cut in loudly, though he too was grinning. "Goodness, why must the King be subject to such impertinence from his servants?"

Fuel looked morbidly insulted. "Goodness, these 'servants' of yours will surely reconsider their continued loyalty to you if they are subject to such rudeness from their King."

"But in all seriousness, my Lord, Sir Ness is still very much young. And he has already seen so many obscenities of the world already. I think it is very appropriate that you, and only you act as his guide as he makes it through this world." Duster said, his small eyes on the doorway that Ness and the guard disappeared through.

"I hope I can appropriately act my part." Lucas said quietly.

"The name Paula rings a bell." Fuel piped up. "I think I might've heard it mentioned somewhere before..."

"It should." Lucas said, his face unchanged. "She was a mage who refused to become a part of my father's army, so she was sent to the Murasaki clay mines as a slave."

"Ah yes, I remember now." Duster's eyes travelled upwards as he recalled his memories. "She was quite a beautiful young girl too, blonde hair, blue eyes, like you, my Lord."

"Like Nana..." Lucas's voice was barely audible over the ocean's waves.

"She never did say where she hailed from though." Duster continued. "I guess now we know. Eagleland Empire...quite a place..."

"I'll have to bother him more about it later on at the Academy." Fuel said, but his face turned serious as he looked at his King and good friend. "Ness will not be happy if he finds out you've lied to him."

"I have good reason for my actions. This brings me to another point." Lucas's voice turned absolutely serious. Fuel and Duster both stood up a little straighter.

"I have sensed a rather large gathering of life forces on the northern outskirts of Murasaki Estate. Most probable an encampment of Osohe and Dalaamian troops."

"...this is unprecedented. Unacceptable." Fuel's tone also dropped a few levels from its usual quirkiness. "I had at least thought they would wait until our delegations with Princess Kumatora are over, but it seems like Prince Poo is getting itchy sitting around."

"Which is why I need both of you to be absolutely ready for impending invasion. Fuel, although for the immediate situation I want you to prepare adequate response forces, I also want you to prepare strategies for a Lightning Siege of Osohe Castle. I shall discuss details with you later on." Lucas commanded. "Make your father proud, my friend."

Fuel nodded eagerly. "Of course."

"Duster, gather the Elite Captains and tell them they need to be prepared to move out to meet Dalaamians and possibly Osohe Knights in battle. Also, send a Standby order to Argilla Pass and SiegeMaster Alec. They will need to mobilize in a moment's notice."

Duster gave one solid nod of the head. "I shall comply. But what of the new law that has yet to pass? We will be betraying the trust we instilled in the public if we siege Osohe regardless of the results of the votes."

"If we are forced to, we do it anyways." Lucas said. "Ness was right about one thing. The public is getting a bit too careless. We need to instill more fear into them if we want to make sure they stay in line, and don't botch their voting power. A display of military strength against those foolish Dalaamians should do."

"Understood." King Lucas's two cohorts said simultaneously.

"We can start this tomorrow. For now, a good night's sleep is in order. You've both done well today. Dismissed, my friends."

"See ya around, Lucas." Fuel yawned as he walked off the direction he came from.

"Good evening to you, my Lord." Duster gave a bow of farewell. When Lucas turned around a second later, the Advisor was nowhere to be seen.

King Lucas remained in his spot on top of the Castle walls. "Things are about to get interesting..." He whispered to himself.

He turned his head straight up. The stars were reflected onto his large blue eyes. The wind stirred, a premonition to the coming grand conflict.

"...don't you think so too, Claus?"


	13. Side Story: Trouble in Tazmily

-Side story. These entail events that are not intimately connected with the plot, but give more understanding to the setting and characters. –

-01210-

"Tazmily Estate," Jeff proudly said. "The largest population centre you will ever lay eyes on, Ness."

"I've seen bigger."

"Pardon?"

"Erm, nothing." Ness felt it best to not go into too much detail about his homeland. He's barely made acquaintance yet with these two, Jeff and...Fuel, was it? Weird name.

"So, Sir Ness, have you stayed long yet, or would you like us to run you through some of the finer points of this Estate?" Jeff offered brusquely.

That would be nice. Ness has settled in Tazmily for about 3 weeks at this point, which was the awkward time in between knowing how to get home from various places in the Estate, but not knowing what half of the Estate's features were.

"Okay by me." Ness nodded, glad that the first friend he made in this land was not terribly rude and uncivil.

"Aww, you offer more than what's asked sometimes, Jeff." The brown spiky haired boy named Fuel broke in. "I'm not even sure that this kid has the patience to keep up with your stifling explanations."

...Well, at least one of them wasn't. But as he shot a glare at Fuel, he was really hoping in the back of his mind that Jeff wouldn't go into long winded explanations about uninteresting stuff. That would require Ness to pretend he was paying attention. Which he did not want to do.

"My 'stifling' explanations," Jeff countered stiffly, "are for the mere benefit of newcomers such as Ness so they would feel much more homely in our community."

"Yes well, I think he would be more than appreciative of a light summary." Fuel winked at Ness, who stood blank faced.

Jeff snorted. "People these days could not appreciate knowledge even if it begged for entrance into their insufferable brains." He started into the forest of buildings that made up the core of Tazmily Estate.

Ness followed behind, and was surprised to see Fuel drop back until he was beside him.

"You're lucky. I saved you from the incredibly boring monster that is Jeff's mind." He said, grinning widely.

Ness couldn't bring himself to actually thank him. So he settled with a grunt.

Fuel chuckled. "Despite such, Jeff has a heart of gold. He is a great person to be around, and he seems to have taken a likening to you, Nobleman. What did you do to get his interest?"

"Something I did in class. Ask him later, I'm not one to tell long stories."

"Fair enough."

Ness took note of the very formal and knowledgeable way that both Jeff and Fuel talked, despite that they were probably around his age, which was 10. It was consistent of being brought up in high class standards, where mannerisms such as intricate speech were important. He has been with his fair share of peasants and lower class kids as well, and their words were full of slander and assumption. Though Ness was known to be able to get along great with practically everybody, he was glad that the first two people of Tazmily that he has gotten into prolonged contact with were of the relative same social class as him.

Ness could tell that Jeff was exceedingly proud of the Estate in which he lives by the enthusiastic manner in which he was using to describe the various buildings and places.

"Our SewMaster is the finest tailor in all of Nowhere. Her cotton stitched clothing is of the finest and most desirable quality." The spectacled boy pointed to an open building full of people. "If you wish to look the best, this is the place to go, if you have the DP to pay for it."

DP...Dragon Points. Quite a strange name for currency. But the money itself was surprisingly similar to Eagleland coinage, both in forged shape and makeup.

Ness looked at his own piece of clothing. A bland piece of pale yellow cotton, but very comfortable. Not to his specific taste though. Maybe revisiting this clothing merchant would be good later on.

Jeff was now pointing to a rather benign looking structure with many windows. "The local healing ward. HealMasters of the highest order work here, so no worries if you manage to get sick in Tazmily. They pride themselves in a low mortality rate."

Healing ward...a hospital basically. Ness briefly wondered if these 'HealMasters' also use leeches as the solution to everything like the idiots back in Eagleland.

An inviting smell of warm bread made its way through the crowds of people into Ness's nose. He took a deep breath, and sighed. Nothing really like the smell of freshly baked bread.

"I see you've caught the scent of our BakeMaster Caroline's work." Jeff gestured to a large stone structure with a large arched opening through which a woman was offering her baked goods.

Fuel headed up, stood on his tiptoes, and grabbed a long loaf, dropping a DP coin on the counter. He broke it into three pieces, and handed one to Ness. The young black haired boy didn't do anything for a second.

"Yes, you can take it if you want. No I did not sneak poison on it. No I do not expect anything in return. No, do not expect me to buy you food all the time, think of this as a welcome present from me." Fuel recited.

Ness blinked, but reached out and took the bread out of his hand and bit into it. It tasted really good, fresh out of the fireplace. Mouth full, Ness nodded, hoping Fuel would understand his silent 'thank you', which he did.

Unlike Ness, who ripped off a huge chunk in his first bite, Jeff was eloquently nibbling on his piece. He continued his tour, now pointing to a very large building with many chimneys spewing smoke out.

"SmithMaster Bronson is the finest tool smith of the land. Though if you look for a weapons blacksmith, might I suggest our shop. I am working to become a great weapons' Blacksmith myself..." Jeff said in a rather flat tone.

Perhaps he wasn't supposed to, but Ness caught the very quiet "...so people would stop comparing me to my father..." That followed out of Jeff's mouth. Ness examined the blonde haired, very formally dressed young boy. His eyes were covered by those thick glasses, which made it reasonably hard to decipher emotion from his freckled face. But his lip was pressed in a line, so it was a good guess to say he wasn't happy about something.

"Jeff?"

At his name, Jeff jumped a bit, as if his mind was brought back from elsewhere.

"Um, yes Ness?"

"Is there something between you and your father that you're unhappy with?"

It was immediately obvious that Jeff had not anticipated Ness to have heard that last tidbit. He sighed, strangely okay with speaking his mind to his black haired boy, despite having met him for less than a day.

"You can put it that way. I suppose it would be more accurate to say there is a lack of something between my father and me." Jeff was careful to not let his tone change from its regular evenness. He prides himself on his composure and ability to keep his emotions in check, like any person of great intelligence should.

"My father is WeaponsMaster Andonuts, and he...yes I realize it's an uncommon name, now stop laughing...and he is a brilliant mind, responsible for conceiving many revolutionary weaponry and war machines that would give an insurmountable edge in battle. He works in Nowhere Castle, in direct communication to the King."

Jeff paused, then let out another defeated sigh. "He tends to be overly absorbed in his work. I have begun to see less and less of him ever since his reception into the Royal Forces 3 years ago. The last time I even talked, if ever so briefly, to him was 6 months ago."

Ness let what Jeff just told him soak in. "What about your mother?"

"I have no memory of ever having a mother. My father never talked about her, even when I asked."

That must be tough. This boy, Jeff, has practically lived by himself for the past 6 months. A father who's job requires extended leave, that was something Ness could relate to.

His own pa held work in the city of Quatreside back in Eagleland, and was rarely home, if at all. Even here, he somehow managed to land a job as the ambassador to some other Kingdom, and was not home. It was understandable if Jeff held some resentment towards his father, just as Ness had for some time when he was younger. Perhaps even more so considering his lack of mother figure or siblings.

"Jeff."

"Hmm."

"It will be fine. My own father also works away from home for long periods of time, and sometimes I get angry at his absence too, but he always assures me that he loves me and my family very much, and he regrets having to work so far away. I'm sure it's the same with your father."

Jeff shook his head. "I don't think so. He barely even acknowledges my existence! When I try to visit him at the Castle, the guards turn me away, even though I try to explain who I am. They say WeaponsMaster Andonuts never even _mentioned _me. I don't remember him ever saying that he loved me."

Well, that was depressing. "Don't worry, I'm sure that he does, he's just...looking for the best time to express it." Ness tried.

Jeff laughed humourlessly. "I'm sure."

Deciding it best to move on to another subject, Ness asked, "Why are all the skilled tradesmen called something-Master, by the way?"

"I'm not sure actually," Jeff said, putting a hand to his chin. "It's been such for as long as this Kingdom has existed, and we accept it as how it has always been."

Ness accepted this explanation. He vaguely remembered that Fuel's father was a something-Master as well, but it probably wasn't important.

Speaking of which...where was that boy? Fuel had somehow slipped away unnoticed. Ness looked around, but saw no sign of the elusive brown haired boy among the crowds of peasants and merchants alike.

Unfortunately for Ness, he still had a reasonable chunk of unfinished bread in his hand, which hung on his side, and it was now in the sights of a large hungry dog. The grey furred animal snaked through the legs of the crowds of people, accelerating towards Ness, who had his back turned, and yanked the bread out of Ness's hands. The dog then ran as quickly as he could away.

"HEY!" Ness felt the bread get tugged from his hand, and caught a glimpse of it in the mouth of a quickly fleeing dog. "GET BACK HERE YOU MONGREL!"

Jeff awkwardly watched new friend chase after the animal, ducking through the stream of patrons. He then decided to follow, mostly because he was worried Ness may get lost or hurt, but a small part of his brain was amused by this turn of events, and wanted to see how this played out. Jeff trotted after them.

The dog heard the indignant yell and subsequent footsteps of the boy he thieved from hot on his trail. He picked up the pace, slobbering all over the piece of bread, running as fast as his four paws could take him.

Soon the dog heard the footsteps fade. He slowed, listening for signs of his pursuer. Nothing. So the dog decided to settle right there, laying down and started to gnaw on the bread.

"GOTCHA!"

Suddenly the weight of his pursuer was on him, and his food was being yanked from his mouth.

Ness got off the dog triumphantly, holding the drool covered and now very uneatable piece of bread in his hand, waving tauntingly at the large grey animal that took it from him.

His grin faded when the coy looking dog suddenly snarled, and leapt into him, tackling him onto the rough ground.

"Ow! Why you..."

The boy and the dog rolled around for a while, drawing the looks of some amused passerbys, including the arriving Jeff, who was panting a bit, not used to running too much.

Eventually Ness got the upper hand, and managed to roll the dog underneath him, straddling the animal. The dog whimpered.

"Ha! Serves you right!" Ness then saw Jeff, and waved at him.

Jeff could only laugh, but when he got a closer look at the ears drooped grey dog, his smile vanished like a candle being blown out. That dog belonged to-

"HEY!"

The earth practically quaked as a large, rough, and very angry looking man stomped up to Ness and his dog chair.

"What do you think you're doing?"

If Ness was afraid, he certainly didn't show it. In fact, Jeff saw something akin to amusement as he deftly answered.

"This dog stole a piece of bread I was eating." Ness held up the wet piece of bread for the big angry man to see. "Well, I guess I can't eat it anymore, thanks to him, but if I can't have it, neither can he."

The man seemed to swell up with anger, his wide face red. "So my dog stole some food from you, that gives you the right to ride him like a horse, Noble?"

"I suppose not." Ness stood up, and the dog shot from between his legs and padded to his master's side. "But you really should feed him better, so he doesn't go around taking food from others."

The large man's eyebrow twitched. He stepped closer to Ness, who looked absolutely miniscule against his large frame. "Are you telling me how to take care of my animals?"

Ness did not concede a millimetre. If anything, he was getting a bit annoyed with this man's attitude.

"Yes, I am. Stop eating all the food yourself and feed your dog, is what I am suggesting."

Jeff slapped a palm over his face.

The man got right into Ness's personal space. He used his thumb and index finger to grab the front of Ness's yellow shirt, yanking the boy's defiant face up to his own.

"Let's be clear about things here. I do not care if you're a Noble, no one tells m-OWW!"

For a 10 year old, Ness punches hard. And a fist flying straight into the large man's face was enough for him to recoil, taking the hand off Ness's shirt to hold his nose.

Tears streaming from his eyes, blood streaming from his nose, hate streaming from every pore of his body, the man raised a hand and swung a massive fist at the small kid.

But he was quick. Ness sidestepped from the punch, and others that followed it. The large man was strong, but slow. Finally, he made the poor decision to throw his whole body at the boy, lunging. Ness simply hopped back out of his range, making the man fall flat on his belly. Ness then mockingly jumped on the man's head, and stepped over the length of his body, walking behind him.

He trained with the best. Eagleland's finest sparring classes were barely a challenge for Ness.

The man pulled himself up, and turned around. Ness snorted. The dirt that caked his face and front significantly reduced the effect of the look of seething anger on his face.

"I...am...going...to kill you..." The large man slowly, deliberately approached the small black haired boy.

Seeing he meant business this time, Ness grabbed a makeshift weapon, a wooden stick, and held it in front of him like a sword. A very pathetic, fragile, ineffective sword.

The man swung another large fist, and Ness ducked from it easily. He swung the stick at the man's thick knees, aiming to cripple him from continuing this brawl.

But Ness's overconfidence finally came back to bite him. He did not expect the stick to break with a snap when it hit the man's knees. The force wrung his hands, stunning him momentarily. A moment too much. The man grabbed Ness's small neck with his large hand, lifting the light child into the air.

Ness's mind flooded with panic as he felt the hand squeeze, constricting his air flow. His legs were kicking around the air uselessly, his teeth clenched. _Great, I managed to survive genocide and deadly storms in the middle of the ocean, just so I could die here... _Ness thought. _I'm so stupid, and now the last thing I'll ever see is this overgrown boar's face..._ He was blacking out...

"Ouch! What in the..."

The hand around his neck loosened. Ness saw the man's face turn around.

"AAAUUGGGHH!"

The hand around his neck released its grip, and threw him hard. Ness landed painfully, and slid into a wooden merchant stand. The supports broke, and a can of blue dye splashed across his yellow shirt.

Ness rubbed his hurting neck, one eye closed. The other saw the large man squirming and yelling, holding his face. The dog was barking.

Suddenly Jeff was beside him. "Ness! Are you quite alright?"

Ness looked into the worried face of his friend. His glasses were askew from running, and for the first time, Ness was able to look at Jeff's eyes. They were an odd shade of milky brown, as if its colour has faded over time. Presently they were narrowed in worry.

There was something in Jeff's hand. A rock. Jeff had thrown rocks at the man.

"You...you saved me..." Ness panted.

Jeff nodded, trying to look modest. "I was lucky to have managed a blow to his eye. Now come on, it would be wise to leave while we can."

Hard to argue with good logic. Ness scrambled to his feet, and ran with Jeff around a corner, putting as much distance between themselves and the large man. Ness thanked the God he was not sure existed that he managed to live.

Among all the other thoughts whirling in his mind, Ness was aware of the strip of dark blue dye that lay dripping horizontally across his cream shirt. It looked...quite good actually. As mad as it sounded, he made a mental note to get a shirt tailored in this design later on.

-01210-

Fuel was sitting on top of a clay tiled roof, beside him, a figure of his size and age wearing a brown cloak with a hood that covered his head. They had both watched Ness and Jeff get in and out of that situation with the large man that was crouched over, still struggling with his injured eye, his dog sitting beside him.

"This man and his dog are responsible for quite a few thieveries and unprovoked attacks across the Estate. Remind me to have him arrested later on." The cloaked figure said.

"Yep." Fuel turned, amused, at his cloaked companion. "Well, what do you think?"

The cloaked figure turned to look at Fuel. A tuft of shining blonde hair traitorously stuck up from under the hood. A young handsome face. Deep blue eyes.

"You were right." Prince Lucas said. "That black haired boy does remind me quite a bit of my brother."

"Perhaps you should go meet him in person?" Fuel suggested.

"No. No point. I'm probably never going to see him again anyways." Lucas stood up from his perch on the rooftop. "Come on, let's go before someone sees us."


	14. 12 The Makings of a Great Mage

Ness took a deep breath.

Why was he even nervous? He's been here plenty of times. It's not like there was anything to fear...was there?

Finally he raised a hand and curled it loosely around a wrought iron door handle. He tapped it against the metal knocker. The sound would be loud enough to travel all the way through the large house.

He waited.

There was a muffled clinking on the other side, and the door creaked open.

"Oh. Good day, Ness."

"...to you as well, Nana."

In many ways, Ness was the luck of the draw when it came to Nana. The gorgeous young lady attracted looks from everywhere like a colourful, delicate flower, wavering in the gentle breeze. When young Nobles reach their turn of age and began to pick out a woman for their wife, Nana would most certainly be the one the others would trip over each other to get to. She was Tazmily's own sun.

Nana stood at the stone doorway of her luxurious home, looking strangely expressionless, which made Ness even more nervous. He cleared his throat.

"Nana, if I may ask for a few moments of your time, I can adequately explain to you what's been happening to me."

One of her most standout features was her rather large eyes. They were always wide, always taking everything in. But right now they had their attention on nothing else but her black haired mate that mysteriously appeared in Tazmily 4 years ago.

"I would like that. You really did have me worried when you doubled over in the middle of our conversation back at the Academy. Angie didn't let me follow you guys either, but she didn't know what was happening so she turned out to be less than useful and I could only stand there and worry and wait for newsofyoursafetybutyoudidn't-"

"Nana. Nana, I...I'm sorry for making you worry," Ness usually had a hard time translating her incoherent blather when she starts to talk like that. "But please, just listen."

Nana paused, and finally let the smile she was holding back since Ness knocked on her door shine through. "Alright."

Ness extended a courteous hand, which Nana took daintily, and she stepped out of the doorway, careful to lift her skirt.

She then stood on her toes, as Ness was a bit taller than her, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Ness was gushing, and struggling to keep his composure. He relished these little displays of affection they shared. It made the time he spent with Paula all the more enjoya...

He froze. He just mixed the two up again.

Ness was trying his hardest to deny the fact that perhaps he became so close to this young lady solely due to her uncanny resemblance to Paula from his childhood. He was guilt ridden. In her own right, Nana was a wonderful person, perhaps a bit talkative at times, but nonetheless someone who would make anyone happy by just being with them. And as such, it made Ness feel rather low that possibly the only reason he liked Nana was because she looked like someone else.

Not to say that Ness didn't like her for who she was. Ness loved Nana like all his close friends, but it was unfortunate that she chose him over many, many other, perhaps more deserving and better young men, because she genuinely believed her feelings for Ness were mutually reciprocated. Which they were, but for the wrong reasons.

"Ness?"

Ness broke out of his frozen state. "Erm, yes. Why don't we take a walk, and I'll explain everything."

-01210-

Tracy peered her head around the flowerpot she was carrying to see her older brother and the very familiar figure of Nana walking towards their home.

It was a common sight to see the two of them side by side, making their way to here. Tracy had always liked Nana, though she found her to be a bit of an excessive talker, and she always made sure to tease her older brother about all the time he spent with the young lady. It was almost like all those times Ness would run off with Paula back then.

"Ah, there's brother now! Here, can you hold this for me for a bit?" Tracy held out the clay pot and flower to a hooded figure standing beside her. She received a nod, and the pot was lifted from her hands.

The 10 year old girl made her way to Ness and Nana.

"...and really that's what I was worried most about, the fact that I had no clue what mages here were treated as...oh hey Tracy."

The two older kids smiled back at Ness's grinning younger sister. But there was something else behind that grin, a silent inquiry to what they were talking about.

Ness promptly replied by rolling his violet eyes at Tracy's matching lilac ones. "What we discuss is not any of your business to find out."

Tracy huffed. "Just because you are of an older age doesn't mean you can choose to not tell me anything. Sometimes mother even says that I'm more mature than you."

"Hey that's not true." Ness retaliated, a little more defensively than he intended.

Nana's smile also turned into a pointed grin, and she looked expectantly at the black haired Noble.

Ness flushed. "What?"

"Oh nothing."

"Well I'm telling you that I am most definitely more mature than Tracy."

"I believe you." Though Nana's tone implied the compete opposite.

Looking around desperately for a change in topic, Ness spotted a figure wearing a brown cloak and hood holding onto a large flower plant in a pot standing in their front gardens.

"Tracy who is that?"

"Oh, him?" Tracy waved an arm for Ness and Nana to follow. "He didn't give a name, but he said he was one of your friends, Ness. He's pretty cute."

Ness and Nana raised their eyebrows.

"Anyway, I told him you would return shortly, so he offered to help me with the flowers that ma wanted rearranged and watered. He was carrying a large sunflower in a pot himself."

Really now? Ness wondered which one of his friends from the Academy it was that had the courtesy of helping out without being asked to, a trait that many increasingly proud and lazy Noble children lacked.

The cloaked figure put down the pot he was carrying, and stretched out his arms, yawning. He then looked directly at the two coming up to the house. Ness was now close enough to see his face.

Bright yellow hair, deep blue eyes.

Ness stiffened, not sure if he should feel embarrassed or amused. Tracy looked at him questioningly.

"What?"

"Erm...Tracy, that's..."

"...King Lucas."

Something was off about the way Nana said that. It sounded uncharacteristically venomous. Her eyes were now deadlocked onto the hooded Lucas's face.

Ness wasn't necessarily surprised Nana knew King Lucas when she saw him, probably most of the population would recognize their King. But rather the way she talked in such a blatantly rude manner _to_ the King of all people, while usually she would not have used that tone to anyone else.

Lucas's face was impassive under his brown hood. "It's been quite long, lady Nana." He said quietly.

"Not nearly long enough." Nana almost spat.

"...how have you been?" Lucas asked.

"It is no longer your business to know."

Ness wanted to interject, but held back. Tracy had slunk behind him quietly, apparently a bit overwhelmed that she had just made the King of Nowhere help her with housework.

"...I'm sorry you think that." Lucas finally whispered.

Nana exhaled through her nose sharply. She then turned to Ness, and put on the sweetest face she could muster. Ness did not know how to react.

"Ness, I think I'm going to retire now. Thank you for telling me what has been happening to you. I wish you the best of luck with your newly discovered powers in the future." She said a little too girlishly.

She then leaned up to his cheek and planted a kiss on it, longer than usual. Ness had the distinct feeling she wanted that kiss to be as visible as possible.

"Um...er..." He stuttered.

"Good day." With that, Nana turned away and walked briskly out of view.

Feeling a bit shell shocked, Ness was planted to the spot, looking at where the young lady disappeared around the corner. Tracy tugged on his shirt.

"Ness."

"Oh, right."

Spinning around to face Lucas, who had an eyebrow raised, he tried to work out what had just transpired in his head.

"...well." Lucas said flatly.

"...yeah." Ness answered.

"It seems you and lady Nana have quite a relationship."

"You know of Nana?"

"You'll find that I am familiar with all my subjects."

Tracy spoke up. "Umm, you are Lucas, King of Nowhere Kingdom, are you not?"

Lucas nodded. "Pleasure, lady Tracy."

Ness had never seen Tracy so speechless. His little sister always had a knack for candid responses and clever insults, but now she had her eyes wide and mouth moving up and down with no sound coming out, and Ness found it to be a rather funny look.

He gave Tracy a little push. "Go on, introduce yourself, Lucas won't bite. Hard."

Lucas pulled back his hood, and the tuft of bright blond hair that stood up sprang out. "I only bite those who deserve a good biting." He made sure to look straight at Ness when he said that. Ness merely shook his head and smiled.

"Uh...well, my name is Tracy, 10 years of age, it is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord." Tracy more or less recited.

"The pleasure's mine, Tracy, though you can do away with the 'my Lord'. I'm as young as your brother. Wouldn't it be strange to treat someone like him so formally?"

Ness blinked, realizing Lucas just took a shot at him. "How so?"

"He does make a good point, brother." Tracy said.

"He makes no good point. I can be a gentleman if I want."

"Oh really?" Lucas walked up beside the two siblings. "That impression must've been lost on me."

"I remember once he dug a piece of bread out of the trash and ate it!" Tracy helpfully supplied. "It was nauseating!"

"Is that so?" Lucas gave Ness a look, then slowly stepped away from him.

"It wasn't as bad as Tracy made it sound!" Ness explained. "It was more like a scrap bin from the bakery...I was starv-why am I even telling you this?"

"Please continue, I want to hear all the details." Lucas told Tracy, who eagerly nodded, but Ness's hand covered her mouth.

"Enough, please. Lucas. Why. I have to deal with this on a daily basis and I really don't think she needs an apprentice." He glared as intimidating as a big brother could to his adorable little sister.

"The best way to bridge a gap between two unfamiliar people is to find common ground." Lucas answered, smirking.

"Yes, well, I do not enjoy being 'common ground'." Ness felt Tracy grab his palm and pull it away from her mouth. "Do you have good reason for this visit, or are you just dropping by for conversation?"

"Ah, yes. Wait one moment." The young King jogged back around their home.

"So." Tracy said, folding her arms, a dangerously mischievous look on her face. "When did you become such good friends with the King of Nowhere?"

"To be honest, I'm still not completely sure."

"Can't believe I didn't recognize him right away." Tracy went on. "I remember seeing him for the first time at a congregation with ma and pa, and I remember being so surprised seeing that he was just a little kid like us. But somehow," she nudged Ness. "You, who couldn't be paid to go to political congregations, managed to become friends with him."

"Envious?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Though I am wondering what business he has with you to take time out of his schedule just to visit our home."

"Point."

Soon the young King appeared around the corner again, this time he was cradling a massive clay pot. Shooting out of it was one of the biggest and brightest sunflowers Ness had ever seen. Sunflowers could be spotted all around the Estate, on windowsills and small personal gardens, but none of them could compare to the sheer size of the one that Lucas had in his hands. He must've brought it with him, as Ness doesn't recall his mother ever growing sunflowers.

"Here we are. Ness, you're coming with me into the mountains. We start our training there." Lucas said from behind the thick green stem.

Ness's first, absurd thought was that Lucas was going to force him to carry that heavy flowerpot the whole way there. "Right now? Wow, umm, I expected you to wait a few more days."

"Waiting is not for the wise."

"Hold on," Tracy spoke up. "Where are you taking my brother?"

"Oh, no worries, just for a little session-"

"CHILDREN?"

Both Ness and Tracy immediately turned at the unmistakable voice of their mother, back from her trip to the market. Indeed here she comes, the blonde woman was holding on to the reigns of their horse Franklin, who was towing a wagon full of produce and what seemed to be half a cow. That meant steak for dinner.

"Ah, Ness, Tracy, come help mother with the food. Store it inside the house, and I'll get some servants to clean and cut the vegetables and the cow." She instructed. Her children let out audible groans and began shuffling to Franklin's cart.

She then noticed Lucas, who had somehow slipped his hood back over his face, standing in front of her home carrying a large sunflower in its pot.

"And who might you be, young one?"

"Oh, you don't recognize him?" Tracy said happily, toting a few cabbages. "That's-"

"I'm just a friend of Ness's from the Academy." Lucas cut off quickly. "I actually need to borrow him for a while, my Lady."

Tracy raised a confused eyebrow, while Ness froze in the action of lugging a chunky sack of potatoes off the cart.

"Oh, certainly, dearie," their mother smiled. "As soon as they're done helping me with this chore-"

"I'm afraid it can't wait, my Lady. My apologies, but we need to get going now." Lucas hugged his flowerpot with one hand, and jogged out of the property, dragging Ness along by the shirt sleeve as he passed.

"Whoaa..." Ness dropped the sack of potatoes back in the cart with a thud, and gave his mother an apologetic smile before turning to follow Lucas under his own power.

"My goodness I wonder why they are in such a hurry." The grown woman said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No idea." Tracy said, her voice a bit strained from carrying the heavy food.

"Oh well. I guess you'll have to help me unload Ness's worth as well then." Her mother walked over and opened the front door.

Tracy was not thrilled by the news. "Damn it, Lucas."

"What was that honey?"

-01210-

It was a bit past the noon, so the streets of Tazmily Estate were relatively empty, with a few sleepy patrons wandering around here or there.

They were walking at a brisk pace. Ness thought Lucas looked strangely fitting in civilian clothing, a brown cloak and hood, with a plain orange cotton spun shirt and blue pants. It did well to hide him from passing glances.

"So why are we starting our training in the mountains?" Ness asked.

Silence.

"Lucas? King Lucas?"

It didn't seem like Lucas was paying attention. He was just staring forward, clutching his large sunflower pot.

"...Ness."

"Uh huh?"

"I know this seems like a rather strange question with an obvious answer, but do you love your mother?"

What did Lucas hope to get out of Ness by asking that? Nonetheless he answered without hesitation.

"More than anything else in the world. Well, I suppose Tracy falls under that as well. I love her as any son would love their mother. Perhaps more."

"Do you know why?"

That's easy. It's because...because...huh... Why did he love his mother? Was it because she gave him life, she took care of him, nursed him into the person he is today? In all honesty Ness felt like those answers were not truly the reason.

"I don't feel there is a why. Sure, when looked at from an objective standpoint, it could be said I love her because she brought me up, took care of me, but in reality I don't even think about any of that. I simply love my mother because she is my mother. That's it."

There was a strange feeling passing through Ness's head for an instant. A slight sliver of some undefined emotion that undoubtedly came from the young blonde beside him. But he couldn't quite catch it.

Physically, Lucas merely nodded.

"She really is a great mother, isn't she?"

"Yes. Yes she is."

"Would you be willing to kill someone if it meant saving her?"

It would be easy to try to walk around the question, but Ness knew better than to try that against Lucas. He realized the King asked that question specifically because it would make him uncomfortable. Lucas knew he had a rough past, filled with violence and death. He knew that Ness did not enjoy talking about wars, or killing people. Was this some sort of test?

But more importantly, _would_ he be willing to kill someone, for ma? Would he be willing to become a part of the violence, become like the heartless executioners back in Eagleland, taint his hands with blood, for the person who brought him into this world?

"Yes. I would."

Ness found Lucas to be staring straight into him, like he had done on multiple occasions previous.

"You love her that much."

"Yes."

Lucas heaved a long sigh. Ness picked up something from that gesture. Frustration? Disappointment? Jealousy?

"Is there something I should know?" Ness asked a bit loudly.

"Do you remember what I told you on the Castle walls? About the dangers of love and putting yourself in a position for it to take advantage of you?"

He did. And he did not like where Lucas was heading with this.

"Are you suggesting that I shouldn't love my own family? My own blood?" Anger was creeping into the young Noble's voice.

No answer.

"Because I can definitively tell you now that I do not ever plan to stop caring about my mother. Regardless of what the King tells me."

Ness's voice was attracting some looks. Lucas pulled his hood a little more over his face.

"If that is what you think, it is not my problem." The blonde said, monotone. "I never meant that you should stop caring about your mother."

He said no more. Ness was befuddled. Was there something Lucas was trying to say?

He swallowed, and closed himself off from outside distractions. Using what Lucas taught him, he tried to use his magic abilities to extend himself, to explore what Lucas was feeling. But hit a brick wall. The King had sealed his inner emotions and thoughts from outsiders.

Ness huffed. He was not particularly pleased with Lucas at that moment. He couldn't think of a bad thing, _one bad thing_, that could come out of loving and deeply caring for your family. How could that ever turn against him and hurt him? It made no sense.

The pair found themselves strolling out of the gates of Tazmily, and off the main roads, heading towards the Dragon's Spine mountains.

As soon as Lucas deemed it far away enough, he pulled the hood off his face, and shook his head like a dog, loosening out his hair. He then put both hands in his pant pockets, leaving the sunflower and pot floating in midair, defying all logic. At least to normal, non magic capable people.

Ness noticed something. "Lucas, how come when you use your magic to levitate things, there isn't a glow around it?"

Lucas responded by making the sunflower orbit his skinny figure. "The flashing glow is created by your mind's focus. Levitating and moving objects with your mind requires considerable attention, but when you become more comfortable and proficient with your powers, it becomes second hand, basically like using your hands, and the glow disappears."

The pot floated to in front of Ness. "Hold on to it." Lucas instructed.

It didn't look so bad. How heavy could a yellow flower be? Ness focused, and almost immediately his trademark translucent flashing orb wrapped around the brown clay pot. He had improved substantially from when he struggled to lift a simple daisy out of the water.

At first he didn't feel any intruding weight, but as soon as Lucas let go, his connection almost broke under the strain. Apparently flowers could be real damn heavy. Instinctively he put two hands up and pointed at the pot, giving his powers a more rigid place to flow from.

"It is all about mental strength. Many mages don't have impressive physical builds, but more than make up for it with their magic." Lucas imparted. Ness was now sweating slightly, and a headache was building. "Granted enough training and time to develop, a mage could move impossibly heavy objects."

Ness finally gave in, and broke his connection. The flashing sphere grew and faded into nothingness. Lucas caught it before it hit the earth, and the flower smoothly floated back to him.

"But you will find that history's greatest mages do not need to use magic to move a mountain."

Just another one of the King's many implicit philosophies. Ness assumed that eventually he'll figure out what they meant.

The two friends walked in silence for a while. They headed up a mountain, climbing it without the use of a road or pathway. Pretty soon they were standing amidst the thick woods in the middle of the mountain. The leaves blotted out the sky, leaving spots of sunlit diamonds littered on the ground of dead leaves and rich soil. Ness looked straight up. Trees stretched from every corner of his vision, reaching into the sky. The place was serene, the air held the sounds of birds chirping, and the steady chuffs of the two boys' footsteps.

"I think this'll do." Lucas said, pulling to a stop.

Ness looked around. This was quite literally the proverbial middle of nowhere. There was nothing special around, just trees and bushes, a lot of green and brown.

"What are we hoping to accomplish here?" He asked.

"You'll see, but for now, I want you to try and listen to the sounds of the forest." Lucas instructed. "Focus and see if you can hear anything...important."

By this point Ness had given up on asking Lucas for an explanation of everything, and opted to just do as he was told. He closed his eyes, and transferred his energy to his hearing.

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Just the regular sounds of rustling tree leaves and songbirds. Ness tried for a while longer, straining his ears until he almost squeaked, but...nothing.

He opened his eyes. "Lucas, I don't hear..."

Lucas was nowhere to be seen.

"...Lucas?" Ness spun around, but his sense of direction was completely addled by the forest, and every corner of the place looked unhelpfully similar. Just trees and bushes. It made him a bit dizzy and disoriented.

"Lucas? Your Highness?"

No answer.

Ness tried to reach him by sensing his magical presence, but got nothing. He then tried sensing his life force, but could not pick him out of the giant blotch of glowing life that was the forest, where everything was alive.

Not truly afraid, but not particularly happy with the prospect of being left alone, Ness picked up a direction and started walking, calling out his name. Chances were this was just some trick crafted by the King, but there was the possibil-

He was no longer alone.

He heard the light crunches of dead leaves left by footsteps, before seeing it come out from behind a bush.

A wolf.

Larger than the ones Ness could recall from his memory, more dangerous looking now than ever. The wolf was grey, with light streaks of brown and white across its pelt. Its pointed ears were raised high, and its mouth was open in an ugly snarl. It was slightly crouched as it slowly stalked after Ness, ready to pounce.

Chances being that this animal wasn't planning to jump on him and lick his face, Ness's mind went into overdrive, going over his options, seeing if there was any way for him to get out of this with all limbs attached.

Normally he would have preferred to have some weapon on him, a sword, a dagger, anything, but carrying only the clothes on his back, this matchup between a 14 year young child and a wild wolf seemed to heavily favour the wolf.

But unless wolves were impervious to magic, this assumption would be very wrong.

Ness continued to slowly back up, in sync with the wolf's advance. He prepared himself, feeling the now very familiar sensation of magical power coursing through his corporeal essence.

Growing impatient, the wolf lunged forward, a flash of grey against the green canopy.

Big mistake.

With one swipe of the arm, Ness launched his powerful _ Rockin'_ spell at the grey streak. The leaves around the boy's feet were blown away, and a gust of energy flung the surrounding foliage away from Ness. The iconic flashing lights and loud sizzle shot through the woods.

Birds fled from their perches on trees, hurricane like force hit tree trunks and rocks.

The dust cleared, and Ness inspected the damage, hoping he didn't actually kill the wolf.

It couldn't have been further from the truth. The wolf was blasted back a good distance, as it lay on the ground, its fur smoking slightly, but it immediately rolled back on its paws, shook the grime off, and with a growl, lunged at Ness again.

The boy barely dodged a paw swiping at his head. He ducked and sprinted away, through the twists and turns of the tree trunks. _What was that! That was pathetic! _He almost shouted. The damage caused by the _Rockin' _spell was not nearly the level when he first used it under witness of Jeff and Fuel. Sure it still left a good scar in the land and a few trees snapped, but other than that, and tumbling the wolf around a bit, it accomplished nothing.

Trying to outrun a wolf in a forest was not turning out great. Ness charged up another _Rockin' _spell, and as soon as he cleared himself some room, he jumped, spun in midair, and swung his arm again, launching a second one at the wolf.

But the animal had learned. This time it slid to a very fast stop, and swiftly jumped out of the way of the red, yellow and blue wave. _Rockin' _once again left a good impression into the ground, but this time the wolf was not even scratched.

Panicking, as well as feeling slightly ashamed, Ness realized that two consecutive usages of his most powerful spell was draining his magic noticeably. This wolf was not going down easy, as he dodged the animal trying to tackle him. He had to be smarter with his powers.

The agile wolf came back for another tackle, growling. Ness, just as quick, jumped away, but tripped on a twig, and entered a painful roll down a hill.

Rolling down a slope in the middle of the woods was not an enjoyable experience. Feeling his face scratched up, Ness was aware that he needed to stop somehow. Unfortunately, that came in the form of slamming, back first, into a tree trunk. The poor boy let out an agonized cry.

Lying painfully on the damp forest floor, he saw the wolf come charging down the hill after him. He needed to act fast, but that was not easy when his back was burning and his face and arms were bleeding from cuts.

The wolf was closing the distance. Only one shot at this. Ness raised his arm, pointed at the charging wolf, and unleashed, hoping it would work.

Instead of the flashing colours of _Rockin', _out came a transparent wave that spread out in a cone, along with a high pitched tone.

Its effect was immediate. The wolf slowed down significantly, and its sharp, focused eyes became lethargic. It stopped a few metres short of the injured Ness, and opened its out full of sharp teeth in a silent yawn.

Taking advantage of the time _Hypnosis _bought him, Ness quickly engulfed himself in a green aura, and felt his pain dull and bleeding stop as the healing spell worked its magic. He then gingerly stood up. The healing magic was not perfect, as his back was still aching a bit, but it did the trick to allow him to move much more freely.

But the bad news was that the wolf was shaking off the _Hypnosis,_ and was about to make a beeline for Ness again. Ness was exasperated. This wolf just did not know how to quit.

Just as he was about to try running again, he was stalled by an all too familiar feeling of pressure in his body. As exciting news as this was, it probably wasn't the best time to be learning a new spell right now. He started running again, the wolf in hot pursuit.

As the trees blurred past him, Ness finally saw a relieving sight. A white opening near the end of the forest. He felt much better about his chances when in the open. He raced the wolf to the growing light at the end of the tunnel of trees.

Ness burst out into the clearing, but as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he saw the opposite of salvation. He was on a piece of land near a cliff dropping straight down half a mountain's height.

He turned his back to the cliff, and saw the wolf burst through the same opening. It snarled at the boy, realizing he was trapped, and prepared to finish this chase.

_Rockin' _failing him, and _Hypnosis _probably wouldn't have the same effect twice in a row. And Ness's hands were not made to fight with sharp fangs. Options were severely limited.

Another shot of pressure went through him. _...That could work. I hope it does. _

Ness took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself as much as his dire situation would allow him to. He then linked his hands together with his fingertips against his chest.

The wolf held back, still barking and snarling, but almost as if waiting to see what would happen next. What trick this boy would throw at him now.

Flashes of light appeared and circled the conjoined hands, also red and blue, but these were slightly different. The lights were in thin streams, and they circled the hands rapidly, creating what looked like a ball of yarn made of flashes.

Deciding to no longer want to find out what came next, the wolf sprang to the boy's throat.

Ness spread his arms out, swiping both hands to either side of his body, like a swimmer performing a breaststroke. The ball of thin bright lines shot out straight towards the charging animal, making an alien buzzing sound as it went.

The wolf whimpered in surprise as it was hit. It stopped mid charge, and stood stiffly, shaking visibly across its whole body. The thin lines of light were now circling the wolf, in streaks of red and blue, making it seem like a colourful snake coiled around the animal.

_Paralysis._

Ness stared for a moment, then exhaled in relief, glad his new spell worked to its promised effect...

But somehow, someway, the wolf was breaking out of _Paralysis_'s hold as well. It was slowly beginning to move forward, struggling against the spell's bonds, like a machine slowly starting back up.

With a final shake, the wolf freed itself, the bright lines disappearing from around its streaked grey fur.

If it wasn't clear enough before, it was inarguable now that this was no ordinary wild wolf. Ness no longer knew what to do. The wolf was advancing on him again.

Ness was spent. He had no energy to cast any more spells, and was still tired out from all the running and injuries. It was inconceivable, almost. He was about to die, outmatched by a wolf of all things. How was he going to get out of this one?

The large animal jumped onto Ness's chest, laying him back on the ground. It opened its mouth and went straight for Ness's face. The boy closed his eyes.

It licked his face.

...what?

Ness opened his eyes, but closed them again as a line of slobber trailed up his cheek left by the wolf's tongue.

The weight left his body, letting Ness sit back up. He looked at the animal. It was now sitting on its hind legs, wagging a furry grey tail. The dangerous wild snarl on its face was replaced by one of the least threatening looks possible on a wolf. Its head was tilted slightly, and was yipping like a small puppy.

Ness was still wary though. "...huh..."

"Well done, Boney."

_Oh you have got to be kidding me._ Ness watched Lucas appear from the forest, the sunflower still floating after him, all smiles.

The wolf gave a few loud, throaty barks, then went and sat down obediently in front of the blonde boy. Lucas crouched down, and affectionately rubbed its head and back.

There was something inherently strange about the King of Nowhere petting a wolf. Ness cleared his throat.

"I think I deserve an explanation." He said in not the kindest tone.

"Of course." Lucas offered a hand, and pulled Ness onto his feet. "This is Boney. He's...more or less a wild wolf. I actually found him when he was just a pup, alone and injured near the outskirts of Tazmily Estate, and brought him back to health. He's retained his loyalty to me ever since."

Boney barked in response. Ness shook his head.

"That's an enthralling tale, but I was looking for an explanation more along the lines of _why did you make him attack me?_"

Boney padded up right in front of Ness, and barked loudly. Ness instinctively took a step back.

"Hey, that's not funny." Lucas said.

"What's not funny?"

Boney whined, and barked a few times.

"I'm sure you had your fun, but wouldn't you have been completely embarrassed if something had happened?" Lucas continued.

Woof, woof.

"Yes, I can tell you had it all under control. You're quite an arrogant one, aren't you?"

"Are you talking to the wolf?" Ness finally asked the ridiculous question.

"Of course." Lucas answered, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Boney's quite a smart wolf, though a bit too conceited for his own good sometimes. Ow." Boney slapped a paw across Lucas's arm.

"All mages possess the natural ability to link minds with other living beings, hence, all mages can, for lack of a better term, talk to animals too." He continued. "It's a lost art, as humans are so in tuned to listen to each other that they have dropped out of contact with nature."

It seemed a bit farfetched, the ability to communicate with other creatures. Or was it?

"My family used to own a dog, named Kaiser." Ness said. "He was left behind when we escaped."

Boney started barking profusely.

"No, I don't think he meant to compare you with 'those common house mutts'." Lucas said.

"...anyways, Kaiser was a great dog. Perhaps a bit on the lazy side, but loyal nonetheless. I really feel bad for leaving him behind sometimes."

Ness took a long look at Boney. The large wolf did not seem to have a shred of his wild side left in him.

"But there was something special about him. He seemed to understand me very well, much better than a regular dog could, and sometimes, I would look at him, and understand what he was feeling as well. Of course my parents dismissed it as overactive imagination, but I was so sure of myself."

Lucas nodded, making sense of everything Ness just told him. "You'd be surprised at how much of the so called nonsense young children spout would enlighten this world. Try communicating with Boney. He's dying to have a nice chat with you."

"I bet he is." How to start? Well, if he's learned anything with Lucas, it's to focus on whatever task you want to accomplish, shut out distractions. So, he stared straight into the brown orbs that are Boney's eyes. The wolf was panting and wagging its tail.

But he got nothing. Somehow it wasn't too surprising the first attempt he made to talk to an animal provided no results. "I don't think I'm getting anything." Ness said.

*That's because I haven't said anything yet, dumbass.*

His ears picked up a few sharp barks, but the words penetrated his mind clearly and concisely, much like when receiving mental messages from Lucas and Ionia. Wait...the first words that an animal said to him were in the form of an insult?

"You could've been a bit nicer." Ness spoke verbally to the wolf.

Bark, bark. *You're right, I could've. But guess what? It's more fun insulting you smelly humans.*

"Boney!" Ness and Lucas admonished in unison.

The young King sighed. "Good, now that you've got the gist of it, you'll find it easier to communicate with Boney from now on."

*Yeah, like I'd want to hear the constant yapping of this fleabag.*

The wolf was not leaving a great impression with Ness. He frowned displeasingly at Boney.

*Oh, all right. I'll try to cut back on the rudeness. To be fair, you're a heck of a warrior...Ness, was it? Yeah, anyways, not many things, humans or animals alike, could take me on and...almost win.*

"You caught me on a bad spot. Next time you try jumping me, you'd be counting your days." Ness rebutted.

Lucas coughed obviously. "As I was saying. Once you've reached a finite mental connection with an animal, it's set forever, and you'll have no trouble speaking with it from then on. The hardest part is establishing the first connection."

*Hear that, fat boy? You'll have the pleasure of hearing my sweet, sweet barking from now on.* Boney woofed cheerily.

"Fat boy? How in God's name am I fat?"

*Oh don't be so self conscious, meat bag. Everyone sees it.*

"I don't."

*That surprises no one.*

"For some scrawny forest creature, a lot of garbage streams out of your mouth. Do you eat out of trash bins?"

*No, I've never even seen your house before.*

"That will do. You two bicker like a wedded couple." Lucas cut in.

*I think we both know who the lady of this relationship is.*

"Yes, we do, madam."

"I said enough." The King said firmly. "As entertaining as the two of you together are, I would like to move the schedule along, please."

Boney responded with a few loud barks that translated to something along the lines of *killjoy*.

"To answer your previous question, Ness, I had my furry friend here engage you in a bit of a fight in order to gain an accurate evaluation of your current skill and power levels." Lucas began to lead the two and his sunflower pot back into the thick woods.

That figures. If anything, Ness himself was enlightened to what his own skill and power levels were at. In the recent days since he became lenient with magic use, he had turned a bit arrogant. Today's loss against Boney the wolf smacked him down a few levels, making him realize just how much work was ahead of him. How could he protect those he loved if he couldn't even protect himself?

"I'm pleased to see that you hold an impressive arsenal already." Praised Lucas. "But as you probably felt yourself, there is much to work on."

"I don't quite understand what happened to my _Rockin' _spell." Ness practically groaned. "It was pathetic compared to the first few times I used it."

"There is an indescribable difference between practical application of a spell and simply showing it off, especially with pure spells like _Rockin'. _Remember to never let your resolve falter. With time, you will build that power much, much higher than your current level."

So there was no one stop solution to becoming a great mage after all. Old fashioned hard work was still the only way.

"How long did it take you to get to where you are right now then, Lucas?"

The blonde boy faltered, and took sudden interest to the ground. He didn't say anything, just stared at his feet.

*...Lucas...* Boney whined gently.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ness asked, concerned. All he did was ask a simple question, right?

"...let's just say I became what I am today in a much shorter time than it should've taken." He finally said, giving away nothing with his tone.

"How come?" Ness couldn't help but wonder.

"You'll see very soon. In fact, I'm taking you to the reason right now."

The great grey wolf let out another gentle whine.

-01210-

"_Look ma! Snow!"_

"_I know, honey, dress warm, and be careful when you go outside!"_

The young King of Nowhere led Sir Ness and his faithful wolf friend out of the forest and into a grassy clearing. At the end of this clearing was a steep drop into a valley within the Dragon's Spine mountain ranges. Massive rolling mountainsides filled the horizon, looking unnaturally beautiful, almost like an artist's conception.

Ness breathed in. The air here was as fresh and clear as ever, being quite high up in the mountains. There was a definite serene feeling in this little clearing. The bright green grass leaned gently with the wind, and unlike the forest, there was no sound of chirping birds, just the faraway splashing of some river, and the wind passing through.

"_Lucas! Lucas, get up! Get up so we can play! I saw some baby mammoths that weren't here the last time we visited! Come on, let's go see them!"_

He didn't notice at first because Lucas was walking directly in front of it, but now Ness saw the grey granite stone that stood near the edge of the clearing. It was much too chiseled to be a natural formation, much to ideally placed.

Lucas had begun digging out a wilted flower beside the rectangular stone slab.

"_Looks like a storm is about to hit. Children! We are heading for home! Let's go!"_

"_You'll be fine, my daughter. These mountains are as safe as can be! My men make sure no bandits or enemy troops cross into this place, and the animals here aren't a threat at all!"_

It was a grave, Ness realized as he walked closer to it. A top notch grave at that, beautifully crafted, slightly worn from natural erosion.

He quickly read the words engraved neatly onto the stone, and realized what this place was. How important it must've been to Lucas, and perhaps many others. How much of a privilege it was for him to be here.

Lucas had now fully removed the wilted flower from its hole. He then gently pulled the massive sunflower from its clap pot, and slowly, carefully, planted it into the ground, replacing the old flower. The yellow plant gleamed majestically in the sun, like the flags of the Nowhere Kingdom that hung everywhere in Tazmily.

"_Children, keep close. The snow will make it harder to see far!"_

"_Don't worry ma! I'll take care of Lucas!"_

"_I know you will, honey, but..."_

"_...ma? What's the matter? Ma?"_

Boney had slunk in quietly and sat down beside Ness. The Noble put a hand on the wolf's head.

Lucas stepped back to examine his work. He stood like that for a while, just looking at the flower and the grave. He made no sound. No one did.

"_Run! Flee this place, now! RUN!"_

"_But ma!"_

"_Flee! Get back to the outpost!"_

It must be difficult every time he come here, Ness realized. After all he couldn't imagine what he would do if he were in Lucas's position right now. He pitied his blonde friend, but at the same time, was thankful, so very thankful, that this never happened to him.

"_AAAAHHHHHHHH..."_

"_Ma? Mama!"_

"_Lucas no! We have to keep going!"_

"_Mama!"_

Lucas slowly walked up close to the cold, grey stone.

"_Mama? Mama I wanna go home. Please wake up and take us home. Mama...please don't leave us alone..."_

He slowly lowered himself onto one knee, and he hung his head.

"_Father, father I thought that if I prayed...prayed to the Dark Dragon Lord, everything would be fine? Why did this happen...why...wh...I...I can't..."_

The silence that followed was both comforting, and unbearable.

"_Don't go! Please! You'll die! Don't leave me!"_

"_No! I have to do this! And I'm going alone!"_

Time passed quickly, yet slowly.

"_Father? Are you going to look for him again?"_

"_Yes."_

"_...bring him back."_

Silence, nothing but the wind gently passing by the 3 still figures.

"_Lucas, your father, King Flint of Nowhere, has been slain."_

"_The Dalaamians have almost taken Murasaki! Lucas!"_

Serenity.

"_Lucas! Lucas did you hear me?"_

"_...it looks like I have no other choice then, does it?"_

"_...Prince Lucas..."_

"_I'm going to Murasaki. I am going to kill every single one of them..."_

Lucas raised his head, and slowly got back up onto his feet. He inhaled, and exhaled softly, letting his breath become one with the gentle breeze.

The young King turned, and walked back towards his two waiting friends.

"Come on, let's go"

They obediently followed. Soon, the clearing was deserted once more, leaving the gravestone with a new sunflower beside it.

_WIFE OF KING FLINT_

_MOTHER TO PRINCE LUCAS_

__DAUGHTER OF SIEGEMASTER ALEC__

_MAY THE NOWHERE KINGDOM'S OWN BEAUTIFUL AND BELOVED QUEEN HINAWA REST IN ETERNAL PEACE_

-01210-

"We attack tonight. No exceptions."

"What? Might I remind you what we discussed earlier? Our agreement was that we wait for Wess's return with news of the current state of Nowhere before we let you run rampant?"

"I have decided that would take too much valuable time."

"Was I wrong in my impression that you were a wise and patient person?"

"Nay, but thou be most wise to consider the situation in a grander scheme. The accursed Lucas would expect confrontation the moment he hears word of our alliance, and waiting for so long for thy messenger to return from Nowhere's capital just for information that we most likely already possess, I fear we would be wasting an opportunity. And that is assuming he ever returns."

"...What are you suggesting?"

"Do not take my words out of context, Princess. But I believe this Sir Wess would most likely be slain."

"You doubt his abilities. Did you know he has a son who works as an Advisor in Nowhere Castle?"

"I am well aware. That lapdog, Sir Duster."

"Well then?"

"Even if thou are correct to assume he would come back alive, it changes nothing. Our armies have already positioned themselves to strike Murasaki, and King Lucas has most likely already sensed their presence. If we do not take the initiative now, our opportunistic doorway may close."

"If you are so confident in your army's strength, then a few days advantage should not matter to you."

"But the lives of my men do. Any adequate time for them to strengthen Murasaki means more lives that will be spent breaking their defense."

"...nonetheless this seems like a rather cowardly road you are taking."

"As the leader, thou shalt learn there is a thin line between a cowardly decision and a shrewd one, and that thou art forced to walk it each and every day to thy death."

"I don't care about whatever philosophies you've picked up with your Master, I have quarrels about attacking an Estate full of pitiful peasants who couldn't hold their own against a groundhog. Especially if that land belongs to Lucas."

"If that is thy decision, then I shall not force you to partake in the initial attack. But remember your allegiances. It would not do if thou plan to sit idly by while me and my men do all the work."

"Yes. I know."

"Remember thine duty for the people!"

"I KNOW!"


	15. 13 Conflict of Interest

A young slave, covered in a regular tattered cloth, with long blonde hair, nonchalantly walked out of her cell, in plain view of a slave quarters' guard. The guard was not impressed that a slave is out here taking a stroll while the place was supposed to be under complete lockdown.

As such, the guard blocked the offending girl's path, and roughly grabbed her arm.

"You. What do you think you're doing out of your...out of your..."

He trailed off. Something wasn't right. The girl was not giving any hints of fear or obedience, she just stood rooted on the spot. The slave's arm which he grabbed was unusually cold, and a curious sensation was crawling up his own hand and up his forearms.

The guard looked down, and immediately flooded with panic as solid white ice had completely gloved his hand, and was creeping quickly up his whole arm. He could no longer feel the limb. He tried pulling away, but to no effect, it was like trying to drag a boulder. The slave girl simply stood there with a look of interest on her face as she watched the guard struggle pathetically.

Deciding she's had enough fun, the girl raised her other dirtied and bruised arm. Connected to it was a fist that was lit as bright as a lightning flash, and the light illuminated the look of utter terror on the guard that dared to try to bully her.

She punched the guard in the gut with impossibly fast speed. Thick white bolts of thunder arched off her fist and engulfed him as he flew back like a doll being thrown, the ice on his arm shattering into millions of sparkling white crystals. The guard hit the rock wall hard, the impact enough to shake dust off the mine tunnel's ceiling. He slid to the ground, his crushed skull pouring blood.

But he was already dead 6 times over before he even hit the wall.

Paula Polestar walked up to the singed corpse, and pulled the outermost layer of clothing off it. She then stripped herself completely, and refitted into the brown cotton wear that used to be the guard's. It was far too big for her, but it was much better than her work rag, and she did not want to live in that filth for another moment. She also took the footwear, to relieve her bare feet after 4 years of walking without protection against the mines' rough surface.

Paula looked around. The main mineshaft was just a few steps away. These clay mines reached deep into the earth, and was one of Murasaki's biggest digging operations. She would know, she's been through the entire system, clawing out rock. The tunnels were lit by occasional torches, but she opted to light up her path with a small floating fireball in front of her.

She climbed up the ladder system against the circular hole that served as the main service shaft for the whole mine. She planned her escape to happen in the middle of the night, not that she's even seen the outside world for an extremely long time now, so the surroundings were quiet. The transport pulleys and carts lay motionless, and there was barely any sound at all.

She had been expecting more resistance, more patrols, but met none. Paula was surprised, and slightly disappointed, as she would've enjoyed turning more of the guards into the body that her clothes formerly belonged to. When she planned her escape she expected it to be more...thrilling than this.

After a long climb, she finally reached the heavy wooden hatch that was the personnel entrance to the mines. She dissipated her fire ball, and pushed the hatch upwards. It creaked open, the groaning sound of door hinges echoing off the tunnel walls.

Poking her head out, Paula saw that she was in a very large structure. Most likely the clay mines' refining and transportation centre. But it was completely deserted, with no sign of other human life, only primitive machinery looming over the place. She reached out with her magical sense, but it also provided no feedback that indicated human presence.

Now she knew something was out of the ordinary. There were always people here, no matter what time of day.

She pulled herself out of the mineshaft, pausing for a moment to celebrate that she was finally out of those terrible mines through her own free will, and started exploring the place, using her magic to guide her.

The first place Paula found herself going to was the quarters of her slave driver. Even though she already knew the room was abandoned, she still felt a stint of frustration when she opened the door to find nobody there.

But the good news was that there was a set of clean ladies' clothes, much more fitting to her size, on the bed. She paused, reflecting on the probable reason to why these were here, and felt anger and shame boil up. She heard a small tap on the floorboard, and with a yell, sent a bolt of searing flame to the direction of the sound. The fire turned a small rat into fine ash.

After spending a short time to dress herself, as well as scavenge for food, Paula now stood in front of the door that would lead her outside into the Estate of Murasaki, and forever out of the hellhole that was the clay mine. Her magical sense told her that here were definitely people beyond this door. She prepared herself to encounter possible resistance.

Paula pushed the door open.

And was met with utter chaos.

As she had planned, it was night time in Murasaki. But it definitely wasn't a peaceful, quiet night. Screams of terror and the sounds of fleeing people filled her ears. The buildings and houses around her could only be made out as dark shadows, as all light from inside were extinguished. There was an orange glow in the horizon, complimenting the faraway crackling sound of fire burning.

It was almost too much for Paula to handle. This scene was uncomfortably familiar. 4 years ago, she ran away from the destruction and chaos. She then spent the next 4 years in torturous conditions as a shameful slave. Now, she found herself once again among destruction and chaos.

God sure didn't take breaks from toying with his creations, now did he?

"Young lady, what are you doing!"

A hand rested on her shoulder from the back. Paula spun around and was prepared to incinerate whoever was behind her, but she suppressed that instinct when she felt no hostility from the person. It was a rather old man, looking agitated.

"You need to flee, quick as you can! The thrice damned Dalaamians have started to attack, and the Estate is evacuating its people! You should heed my warning and flee as well!"

Paula merely stared at him for a moment, but nodded. The old man hurried away, into the stream of escaping people on the roads.

That was the first person for a long time she had communicated with that treated her like a human.

Having no intention to wait for whoever these Dalaamians were to reach her, she began to start in the direction of the mob people, young and old, poor and rich, were headed.

A troupe of men in plated armour passed her, running the opposite way.

"Hold those rotten Dalaamians back! For the glory of the Nowhere Kingdom!"

Paula skidded to a stop. She looked at the soldiers run towards the orange horizon, swords brandished.

The Nowhere Kingdom.

She had heard that name all too much while toiling in the mines. The guards often brought it up in conversation with each other. She had learned that it was the name of the Kingdom that owned and ran the Murasaki mines.

The Kingdom that imprisoned and dehumanized her.

And it seems that they are under attack by another force named 'Dalaamians'.

Suddenly thoughts of escape were pushed to the back of Paula's mind. She let her magical powers build up within her thin, malnourished body. Her dirty blonde hair started waving gently, though there was no wind. Her pale blue eyes seemed to intensify in colour.

If these Dalaamians were enemies of the Nowhere Kingdom, then they were about to get some unexpected help.

Paula began to move in the opposite direction of the crowd, towards where the battle was apparently happening.

-01210-

"Ness! Brother where are you?"

Is was nearing supper, and Tracy was stuck with the unfortunate job of seeking out Ness from wherever he had ran off to in Tazmily Estate. It was hard work having such a high maintenance elder brother. Fortunately she wasn't blindly searching, she had a few ideas of where he could be.

So she headed to the shoreline at the south end of the Tazmily Peninsula, a place that they both visited often to relax, and where Ness was often found when he wanted to be alone. The place where Ness was finally discovered to be a mage by the Nowhere authorities. The Nowhere Castle loomed over the landscape.

"Ness?"

Sure enough, Tracy found him standing near the water line, unmoving. It always threw Tracy off how her active and impatient brother could occasionally be found alone here, in one of the most serene and calming places in the whole of Tazmily, apparently not doing anything. The orange setting sun reflected off Ness's black hair, making it seem to radiate light.

Tracy was about to shout for him again, but stopped when she observed a curious phenomenon. Ness's clothes were rippling, but there was no wind. And she wasn't sure if it was an illusion or not, but a perfect circle seemed to have appeared around Ness's feet, formed by churning dust and sand.

Her brother was definitely doing something magical.

Then without warning, Ness slashed his right arm across his body. Immediately came a light that rivalled the sun's. A shockwave radiated from his body, enough to knock Tracy off her feet from where she observed. The _Rockin'_ spell he generated charged out over the ocean water with awing strength, the magical force built a water barrier in front of it and split the ocean in two as it rushed onwards. The spell dissipated after travelling a good 200 metres or so, leaving the water churning and splashing.

Tracy watched her brother with an awed fascination. Who knew he was capable of this?

"What did you think, Tracy?"

He didn't need to turn around to know. Tracy jumped a bit.

"You really should be facing someone if you are talking to them." She tried to cover up with a joke.

Ness complied, turning his smiling face around. He walked over to his little sister and put an arm around her. Together, they began to make their way back home.

"If I were to take a guess, mother sent you out to find me for supper?"

"How long did it take you to figure that one out?"

"Again, jest all you want, Tracy. I hope you see that I'm growing out of getting pestered by your sarcasm."

"Aww really? Big brother doesn't want to play with this little sister anymore?"

Ness laughed gently and pulled Tracy closer to his body. His little sister leaned her head on him. Ness always cherished the fact that he got along very well with Tracy, despite her antics and constant pointed jokes. His magical sense could feel her content presence.

And that was why he would continue to practise, continue to become more powerful, with Lucas's help, and hard work he would put in. Ness dedicated all this to protecting his family. His sister, his mother and father. Make sure they are forever safe.

Make sure they do not end up as King Lucas's family had.

After supper, Ness climbed to the roof of their house, where he could get a decent view of the entire Estate. The people were packing it in and heading home for the day.

Ness closed his eyes, and shut off his senses from the rowdy real world. He soon entered the state he wanted, the one that could detect the life presence of people. Once again, his magical sense filled with the comforting feelings of his family and good friends' life forces, among the bright glows of Tazmily's citizens. For some reason King Lucas was absent. He wondered briefly what he was up to.

Extending beyond the peninsula, and flying far into the distance, he was searching for one specific glow. Soon he found himself lost in terms of direction again, which was something he hoped he would better with more practise. But pretty soon, he found what he was looking for.

The distinctive life glow of Paula was still among the group of signatures at the edge of his range, just like last time he checked. Good, she was still there. Soon enough he would figure out where 'there' was, and find her for a reunion far overdue.

...was it just him, or did the group of life signatures where Paula was seem to be...more numerous than when he last checked?

-01210-

"I've sensed a significant increase in life signatures in Murasaki Estate. The life forces of the Dalaamian soldiers that were camped outside of the Estate have disappeared though." King Lucas said, looking down at a chess board, where a game has progressed to a near conclusion. He then peered upwards at his opponent. "Coincidence?"

"We'd be lucky if it were a coincidence." Fuel replied, grabbing his Queen and putting it deftly in front of Lucas's Bishop.

"Indeed. I fear the poor souls of Murasaki will have to endure a few days out of their home until we can drive back the attackers." Duster commented. He stood over the board, observing the game with slight interest.

"News wouldn't have taken long to reach Argilla, and they will provide reinforcements to the Murasaki Estate defense." Lucas said, countering Fuel's move by putting the opposing King in check with a Rook.

Fuel simply moved his King one space over. "Bold move. But they probably wouldn't have expected reinforcing troops so quickly. Argilla is our ace card. As long as it remains a secret we can forever stave off surprise and unexpected invasion."

"Speaking of which," Lucas moved his Bishop out of danger from being taken by the Queen. "Have you readied plans for counter siege?"

Unfortunately for Lucas, moving the Bishop has put Fuel's Queen in a clear path to take his last Knight. "I am still reviewing options. Osohe's an ancient Kingdom, their Castle's probably one step up from a stick and mud shack. I'm not too worried about whether our siege machines can deliver enough power, I'm just worried about getting in range of the Castle."

Foreseeing a possible check, Lucas moved his King behind a pawn. "I'll leave it to you then. But do try to be a bit quicker, in case I want to take them by surprise."

"That wouldn't be very nice of you."

"Do you even remember the last time I could even be considered nice?"

Fuel moved his Queen to a seemingly random location. "Well, you showed some of your old self when you were with Ness."

Duster made a soft 'ah' sound. "That is very true, my Lord. You did show quite a bit of exception to your usual attitude in favour of getting on better terms with Sir Ness."

Lucas dismissed Fuel's move as a feign, trying to throw him off, and moved a pawn forward, in preparation for a precise assault. "Admittedly I am showing him more favour than I usually do to my subjects, but once again, I have good reason to do so."

Seemingly unnoticed by their King, Duster and Fuel exchanged a sad, pitying glance.

The brown haired SiegeMaster then moved his Knight in position to check Lucas's King. "Word will spread among the Kingdom soon about Murasaki's attack. But probably not in time before the final vote."

Lucas pushed his King out of the check space. "Unfortunate, but ultimately it would not matter."

Lucas then realized that he had just lost the game. To confirm it, Fuel launched his Rook into line with the King, trapping it in a corner guarded by the Knight and the prepositioned Queen. Checkmate.

Fuel smirked. "Maybe next time, Lucas."

Duster took out a small piece of parchment from his utility pack, along with a small quill. "That would be 434 wins for Master Fuel, 25 for your Highness." He scribbled the matching numbers on the parchment.

Lucas groaned, and dropped his head onto the board, knocking several pieces over. "Damn." He muttered.

"My Lord, a reminder if I may." Duster suddenly said, his posture a bit straighter. "Is lady Paula, the person that Ness searches for, under danger of capture or death?"

Lucas rose up, suddenly face serious.

"I truly have no idea. From what I can sense, Paula is an incredibly powerful mage, a prodigy really. Depending on whether or not she has decided to escape from the mines yet, her decision making could vary. Though I highly doubt she would be killed."

"That's not good." Fuel said, his mind quickly figuring out what Lucas was implying. "The last thing we need is another powerful spellcaster working against us. I still don't know how to effectively deal with Prince Poo or Princess Kumatora yet."

"For now, let's not worry about this yet. The main focus is on repelling the detestable Dalaamians from Murasaki."

"And should either Prince Poo or Princess Kumatora become directly involved?" Duster started.

"Then I will become directly involved as well." Lucas finished.

"Lord knows we can't have that." Fuel remarked. But the young SiegeMaster's focus was on the large map of Nowhere and surrounding Kingdoms that hung on the wall.

"Duster."

"Yes, my Lord."

"I noticed something interesting as I was sensing the Kingdom." Lucas looked straight into Duster's face. His small eyes and large eyebrows looked back, at attention.

"What is it, my Lord?"

"It seems that your father is on his way to our Castle right now."

Fuel snapped his gaze back to Sir Duster.

"You wouldn't want to miss that, now would you?" Lucas asked.

To most commoners, or even some of the other Elite Captains, Sir Duster's expression did not even falter at the news, but Lucas, having spent much time with his trusted Advisor, could tell different. The extremely subtle frown in his large, curved eyebrows, the slight droop of his pointy moustache.

"No, my Lord, I definitely would not want to miss that."


	16. 14 Fassad

Ness decided it was best to read it out loud so as to better understand whatever this fancy looking piece of parchment entailed.

"_The First Response Aggression Act._

"_This Act, if implemented, gives King Lucas (23 King of the Nowhere Kingdom and all her citizens) as well as any other figures of jurisdiction he deems worthy, the freedom to appropriately use the Royal Forces of Nowhere (sworn to protect our land and its people) to defensively counter and offensively invade other politically organized populations (other Kingdoms, Empires, Tribes, Brotherhoods), without premeditated voting, should said populations engage our Nowhere Kingdom in a non mutual and unrequited act of aggression that leads to significant loss or shed blood._

"_As stated by previous decree written by King Lucas, all military decisions involving a significant movement and engagement of Nowhere's warriors must be authorized through mandated voting by you, the proud citizens of the Kingdom of Nowhere, to ascertain that said military decisions would result in the greatest benefit for our beautiful land. However, due to the vastness of the Kingdom and the large number of settlements all across both the East and West Sovereigns, collecting all ballots and its subsequent careful count takes a rather large expenditure of precious time. This time is usually at a premium during non important and non urgent decisions, but during unexpected invasion, the King must be allowed to act fast to preserve the sanctity of the Kingdom and the lives of the citizens. Should this new Act be allowed with your approval, you shall permit King Lucas and his trustworthy subordinates to mobilize and engage in battle with Nowhere's great arsenal regardless of public opinion or permission to do so. This is only under the case in which invasion without prior anticipation happens, and quick response is necessary._

"_King Lucas encourages you to be wise and thoughtful in casting your decision. As our great Kingdom prospers, it will fall under increasing threat of invasion from other Kingdoms and such. You are urged to think not only of yourself, but of the advancement and safety of everyone around you as a whole. Our Kingdom can only survive and thrive as one, not as divided ideals. This is why King Lucas has spread his power to all of the people of Nowhere, so that it is not merely one Ruler marching his men onwards, but the Ruler marching along with his men, united under one front, onwards to a bright future. Your decision is of the utmost importance._

"_After careful reading and understanding of the changes entailed and their effects, please cast your vote no later than the 5__th__ day of the month of August if you are within 100 kilometres of Tazmily Estate, the 10__th__ day if within 300 kilometres, 14__th__ day if within 540 kilometres, and 20__th__ day if outside of 540 kilometres. Ask the Nobleman or Noblemen charged with the care of your settlement or Estate if you are uncertain of which of the aforementioned region you fall under. One vote is allowed per family household (please inquire about specifications of families to your local Noble as well). Please write clearly and concisely with black ink and feathered quill your name under the vote which you shall vouch for. Please keep this paper folded and guarded until you can safely drop it off into the local guarded collection post._

_Yes, I shall grant King Lucas and his trusted subordinates the power to send the soldiers of Nowhere into battle for the glory of my Kingdom, without my prior consent._

_No, I do not wish for King Lucas to act without my prior consent, all soldiers must not move even to protect the Kingdom without a vote._

"..."

The print was cramped, but very neat, and lined perfectly on the roll of creamy parchment paper. Ness could only imagine how many hours were spent copying this message with the same degree of consistency perhaps millions of times over. Unless the people here used printing presses, of course. The top of the paper was attached with a long red ribbon, which had wrapped this new law in a neat roll when it was first presented to Ness's mother by Sir Duster.

He lifted his eyes from the paper, and met the eyes of his mother and sister looking expectantly at him from across the dining table.

"...is there something on my face?"

Both ladies then snapped immediately back to attention, and put on the most innocent looks Ness had ever seen.

"No, no of course not, dear. We were just in...a bit of shock that you are actually concerning yourself with...something that requires so much reading."

It was slightly disheartening hearing the lack of subtlety in his mother's voice. But it was truth, he couldn't remember the last time his family saw him doing anything literature related.

Though in an almost amusing contradiction to what many believe, Ness was in fact a very accomplished student of writing and reading. Within all the subjects taught to him, including Arithmetics, Natural Philosophy, History, et cetera, Ness found the most interest in Literature and the Language Arts. Perhaps it was because he enjoyed listening to stories that his mother would tell him when he was younger, like the formation of the world, or the legendary hero Ninten. Perhaps it was because Ness himself was a boy with an active imagination. But the result was a child who excels at both interpreting texts and providing intelligent feedback to well known works.

Though in keeping with the so called reputation that Ness thought he had built as a carefree and rebellious person, he doesn't like being found with his face buried in a book, and prefers if others think that he wasn't as interested in reading as he actually is, a claim that his mother and Tracy seem to have bought.

"Well, I just thought that with pa barely home, and I am growing up real quick, it would be good time as any to start concerning myself with these matters." Ness put on a wide smile.

"Right. The real reason is probably because he's being influenced by his new friend, the King." Tracy quipped, then put on the most disarming smile she could muster when her brother sent a glare her way.

"Well, it surely can't be a bad thing to be on good terms with the King." Their mother added. "He seemed like a very mature and pleasant young man."

Ness scoffed quietly at the way his mother talked about Lucas like he was some child Ness found on the streets and brought home for supper.

"So Ness, spare a DP for your thoughts on this new Act?" Inquired his mother.

"Well..." Ness held up the paper, staring at the blur of words. "The least that can be said is whoever scripted this Act is a craftsman with words. This was designed to appeal to the people's pride of being a Nowhere Kingdom citizen, a very calculated way of hiding bias in an otherwise objective vote."

Neither his mother nor Tracy made an attempt to hide their pleasantly surprised expressions.

"I'm confident that more educated merchants and Nobles would be able to pick this up." Ness continued, holding a raised eyebrow at his family. "But I'm not sure if it would change their vote or not, since looking at it from the most beneficial point of view, it would be the wise decision to agree to the Policy's terms and let King Lucas handle invaders as he sees fit."

There was no immediate response to Ness's deconstruction of the new Kingdom Policy. Instead, both ladies opted to continue to stare at the only non blonde in the house.

"...so what do you think?" Ness said uneasily.

His mother jolted out of her surprised stare. "Oh, ahem, yes. Well, admittedly I was a bit thrown off by that enthralling description. Proud, but thrown off."

Tracy recovered as well, but quickly put on a grin. "I guess all that reading and browsing through the library really paid off then."

"Erm, that wasn't what I meant." Ness said dully, though a slight rise in the corners of his mouth spoke volumes of how he took the compliments. "I was actually asking about what you thought of the new Act, and whether we should...hold on..." He turned on Tracy. "How do you know about all the reading and library visits?"

Tracy giggled. "No worries, I won't tell. After all, who's going to believe the rough, tough Ness is actually a sap for stories."

For some reason, Ness didn't feel as relieved as he should have. Not just because he didn't trust his sly little sister.

"Well then, my son, I am confident that you will make a decision that benefits our family." His mother stated.

Ness's eyes widened. "Hold on. Ma, you're letting me make this vote on behalf of our family?"

"I don't see why not." Ma pushed her seat back and walked around until she stood over Ness in his seat. Despite Ness's claims that he was no longer a naive young child, every time his mother stands over him and surveys his face like this, it made him feel like a helpless, dependent little boy again. In a sense, he still _was_ a helpless dependent little boy.

"Ness, you are 14 years of age now. You've done so well for yourself, both as a fighter and as a family member." She put her hands on her hips in a non chastising manner. "I am more than trusting that you will do fine to represent our Noble family in this vote."

It amazed him sometimes, how fast things change, how fast time went by. He had grown up from the traumatized child that washed up on the shores of Nowhere 4 years ago. He was being entrusted with this decision. He certainly was not going to back down. Ness nodded firmly.

His ma's posture melted into a warming and assuring smile that only a mother could manage. She bent down, and put a hand on Ness's black mop of hair.

"Look at you, dear. You've been through so much, you've seen such horrible things. But you still managed to sprout into such a brave and handsome young man." Her voice held the slightest crack in it.

Usually Ness held acts of affection like this in slight contempt, but this time he allowed his mother to rub his head and look at him as if he were some the most precious thing ever.

"I don't think I'm that brave..."

"You are either being much too hard on yourself or much too modest." His mother's hand moved to the side of his youthful face. "It should not have happened, what you experienced. You should not have been forced to live through something so traumatic. I am aware of how you try to repress those experiences, but I can ask no more of my dearest son to have grown up so strong despite such."

There was no way for Ness to not smile brightly after that. He was enjoying his mother's touch on his cheek, wanting her to never leave him. But the moment passed as soon as he saw Tracy pointing a finger into her mouth, tongue hanging out, making a false barfing gesture.

"You little..." Ness darted over to the young girl, grabbed her cheeks, and started stretching them out.

"AH! Geh ough, ough me!" Tracy struggled, grabbing Ness's hands and pinching in retaliation, which earned her a yell of pain from the older sibling.

Their mother merely laughed as she watched her two precious children play around with each other like they have done their entire lives.

-01210-

Ness was surprised he was able to form proper letters after the abuse Tracy put his hands through. But it was done, he had quilled his name and his family name as neatly as he could manage under the choice in favour of the Act.

As much as he would like to say that it was a completely impartial decision, Ness couldn't deny that there might've been slight subconscious influence of wanting to be on Lucas's side. But otherwise, he couldn't think of any reason not to let this Act pass. Sure it might make some people unhappy, but it was solely for defensive purposes, right?

Before he left to go into town, he circled around back to their home's private stables. Standing there on all fours, as always, was Ness's trusted steed, Franklin.

The young horse stared at Ness with those pupil-less black glassy orbs. Ness looked back into them.

For a while, nothing seemed to happen, just a boy staring at his horse. But Ness knew what he was trying to achieve. And soon, he got the result he wished for.

*Top of the morning to you, Master Ness.*

Ness broke into a wide grin. He padded over to Franklin and stroked his mane. "Good to finally hear from you, Franklin."

*Yes indeed, Master. It is very much a pleasure to finally be able to converse with you on such a level. Though if I may say so, I submit we never did need full communication to maintain a pleasant relationship.*

Ness was happy and strangely proud that Franklin was not the foul mouthed animal that Boney the wolf portrayed. "I'm glad you think so. You really are an amazing horse."

*Oh, posh. Though I would appreciate if Master could take note to let the Mistress know that this hay I currently eat is a rather disappointing step down from the last batch.*

"Will do buddy. I'll need to get going now, though. We'll chat over a nice relaxing ride later on."

*Of course, young Master. I bid you adieu.*

"Yeah, see you." Ness left the stables and began towards the place where he was supposed to take the vote.

He found out that the Yado Inn was the place to go to drop off the ballot. Ness's impression of Sir Jackson, Yado's owner and the charge of this vote's collection, was a good one. He came off as a mild mannered and very kind businessman who always greeted the people around him with kind words and mutual respect.

But as he walked down the Tazmily roads to the collection building, he couldn't help but notice how few people there were. Perhaps they were all at where he was heading? Not that he would know how voting day works, this was the first one he's participated in.

He felt the large gathering of people before he even heard them. The past few days of constantly training his powers have made all his magical senses more acute, and they now worked like all his other physical senses, instinctively and without the need to be summoned.

He couldn't remember many instances where Tazmily people would gather in a large group like this in the past, their life signatures were so packed that it registered as a searing torch in his mind. His ear picked up shouts of protest and a general buzz of discontent. Somehow he got the feeling this wasn't how voting usually went.

And finally, Ness saw it. The Yado Inn stood 3 floors tall, built of polished and neatly cut wood, but the bottom floor and its main entrance was obscured by a giant mass of people surrounding the inn.

Immediately he saw that most of them held a curled up scroll of parchment much like his own, their respective votes. Otherwise the majority of them were dressed in plain brown clothing, indicating a lower societal position. Most were merely standing there, muttering among themselves. There was a noticeable lack of womenfolk, as they weren't yet allowed most privileges of men. Present was a clear air of confusion and impatience.

Yelling and not-so-sensitive words were being exchanged up front. Being the 14 year old he was, Ness couldn't see what was transpiring over the shoulders of the adults, which was more than a little frustrating to him. There was no way to squeeze through the crowd with anything short of using magic, either.

Ness examined a low rooftop, and worked out an alternative.

_First time trying, hope this works..._ he thought as he curled his knees and prepared to jump.

Normally it would be absurd to think anyone, let alone a kid, could jump as high as a house. But with the help of a little magic, Ness boosted himself up onto the roof, leaving a fading trail of sparks from where he jumped. It was an interesting feeling. He basically just utilized the same mental power used to move objects around to gain extra lift, the sensation was like being pushed, but at the same time, pushing himself.

With everyone preoccupied, he managed to not be seen performing that maneuver, and now had a spectacular view of the sea of serfs from on top of the slanted wooden roof.

He trailed his gaze over the bobbing heads up to the front of the Yado, where a small contingency of LawKeepers were holding back the crowd with their spears, sparing a few dull-end blows to some of the more aggressive people. Standing behind them was the rather nervous looking Sir Jackson, or Jackie, but it was hard to tell if he really was nervous considering his long curled eyebrows were always lifted.

Somebody was standing beside Jackie, somebody Ness didn't recognize, dressed not like usual Nowhere dwellers. A rather large man with a large nose, thick moustache and a headdress that hid all of his hair. He was wearing a slight grin.

Ness instantly took a disliking to his man, which surprised him. He usually wasn't so quick to place people on his like or dislike list, but there was something about him that rubbed off the wrong way. He tried to shake the feeling off.

"ENOUGH, ENOUGH." One of the LawKeeper's voices called out. The crowd grew steadily silent, anticipating what would happen next.

The spear wielding man stepped to the side and allowed Jackie the innkeeper to shyly step forward. Ness sat on the edge of his very large seat, leaning in to listen.

"Fair citizens of Tazmily Estate, as today is the 5th day of the 8th month, you have all come to place your votes for the King's new Act." Jackie's voice carried out. "But after lengthy discussion with a good friend of mine, as well as the LawKeepers of Tazmily, as the head Collector of this vote, I am postponing collection until the 13th day of the month."

Immediately this stirred up a fresh wave of confused murmuring and even some angry shouts. Ness merely frowned, and looked at the parchment scroll clutched in his hand.

"Please, please!" Jackie raised his voice above the crowd's, calming them down again. "This decision was made for the benefit of all people of Nowhere! The voting period was too short for you to carefully think about all the possible ramifications of this new Act."

That seemed like an invalid argument to Ness. The decision was a basic yes or no answer, and he came to his answer within half a day.

"So what would you want us to do then?" A peasant from the crowd called out.

"To carefully look over the entire page again and try to think of all the possibilities this new policy brings." Sir Jackson answered. The large bellied man shifted beside him. Jackie took notice, and tilted his body to make the man's presence known. "This is Sir Fassad of Minch, many of you may have seen him around our Estate for the past few days. He is currently staying in the Yado Inn and would be more than glad to enlighten you on the points you should take note of for voting."

A few mutters and nods in the crowd. The man named Fassad put on a large, welcoming grin. Ness studied this Fassad person carefully. Suddenly Fassad turned around and locked his gaze directly at Ness from his rooftop perch. Taken aback by this sudden notice, Ness found himself unwilling to look away, as if that would concede something to this Fassad from Minch. Finally the potbellied man turned away, and Ness celebrated silently his pointless victory.

"So please, you are more than welcome to return on the 13th to place your vote again, whether or not you have changed it. But for today and the days following up to the 13th, this voting collection centre will not accept ballots." Sir Jackson said with finality.

"But what of our King? Has he approved of this delay in voting? Will we be held punishable?" A stout merchant brought up.

_Good question, what _would _Lucas think of this?_ Ness thought.

This time, Fassad stepped forward in lieu of Jackie and answered with an overly hearty voice. "Why, is this how the people of Nowhere are conditioned to think? Have you all been addled to fear the King and his soldiers?"

Once again, conglomerated murmuring spread through the crowd. It was evident they weren't as comfortable with a straight yes or no. And that worried Ness.

"Well then fine citizens of Tazmily," Fassad continued. "I guarantee that you have nothing to fear. If this King Lucas is as great a Ruler as I have heard, then he would not object to your best interests. For what is a King without the loyalty and well being of his subjects? You will most certainly not come under any sort of punishment."

The tone of the general murmur turned into an agreeing one. Whatever this Fassad was spewing out was certainly getting through to them.

"It is settled then." Jackie said. "We will welcome you back to cast your vote in 8 days time, on the 13th. I bid all of you a good day."

Without further argument, the sea of people evaporated, radiating outwards in all directions from the Yado's front. It seems this change of events was well accepted by everyone...

Save a young dark haired Noble sitting on a rooftop. Ness's insight, as well as his mother's teachings, always tell him to never just accept any explanation he didn't feel comfortable with, no matter what the general consensus was. And for whatever reason, be it that this was his first vote, or that he knew the King personally, he was definitely not satisfied with just heading home without getting more information.

Jackie held the door wide for Fassad, who entered the Inn with a gracious bow. As Jackie himself followed, Ness hopped off the rooftop, softening his landing with his magic, and dashed towards the Inn door. He hasn't completely thought out what he would do yet, but he wanted answers, more fulfilling answers than the ones used to drive away the public.

Skidding to a stop in front of the large wooden entrance to the Inn, Ness paused to listen for sounds inside. He got nothing. So he grabbed the long vertical door handle and pulled.

And was met with a large belly blocking his way. Standing right at the doorway was the man called Fassad, hands behind his back, an incessant grin on his face. He was wearing a rather pricey looking shirt under a brown vest, which hung loosely over his frame. Ness imagined that he probably was unable to button up the vest over his massive stomach.

"Ah, yes. How may I be of assistance, young man?" A strange accent rolled off his tongue.

"Erm, ah, yes. Hello to you too, but I am looking for Sir Jackson if you don't mind, so if...you..." Ness tried to move past Fassad, but quickly realized it was an attempt in vain. "I...I...want to get past...so...if...could you possibly _move?_"

"As I am sure you are aware, Sir Jackson is the proprietor of this Inn and is therefore a very busy man who does not currently have the time for an audience." Fassad said kindly. "If you have any questions, which I am sure you do, I will answer to the best of my abilities."

"I'm sure you will." Ness was baffled at why he felt such unrequited hostility towards Fassad. Perhaps it was the pompous look he bore? Or maybe the rather creepy smile?

"Well then, come on in, no reason to talk under the beating sun." Fassad moved out of the way, raising a welcoming arm for Ness to enter the homely Yado Inn. Ness reluctantly relented, stepping inside, and immediately feeling a welcome temperature difference from the humid outside weather.

Fassad's heavy footsteps led to a vacant table with a candle sitting in the middle. He invited Ness to sit down first, which the young Noble did. Fassad then took his seat opposite to the table, the chair making an ominous creaking sound.

"Now then, young sir, I assume your inquiries will involve the sudden and unannounced change in voting schedule?" He cut straight to the chase.

"You assume correctly." Ness replied.

If Fassad was by any means put off by Ness's attitude, he didn't show it. He merely chuckled. "If I may say so myself, young sir, you are quite a unique personality. You are young, no more than 15, I assume, yet your mind is very sharp...in more ways than one..."

It was a not so subtle hint that this man might be aware that he was a mage, and Ness was quickly put on his toes. Clearly Fassad was much sharper than his round figure suggested.

"Yes, well, always glad I can leave a memorable impression for unfamiliars." Ness's tone kept regular and almost businesslike. "But do please tell me, what reasons could you possibly have for delaying this vote, especially considering the decision is a fairly simple one in my view."

"Ah yes. I do not put blame on you for not having the experience or foresight to see that this vote is in fact, _riddled _with hidden implications that would result in problems for the subjects of Nowhere." Fassad said with a smile.

Ness was about to open his mouth in contradiction, but held fast, and frowned. Was this Act really _riddled _with hidden side effects?

But Fassad could just be bluffing. "Elaborate?" Ness requested.

"Of course." Fassad reached into his vest and pulled out a scroll, no doubt his own copy of the Act. He then unrolled it, and placed it in front of Ness.

"Tell me, young sir, what do you see this policy entailing?"

Squinting at the parchment, but failing to see much else than what he already assumed, Ness summarized, "A request for the King to be able to mobilize troops for defense and attack against threatening Kingdoms without public voting, as it takes much too long for all votes to be tallied."

"Yes, that is correct in essentials, but do you realize what mobilizing troops mean for Nowhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"The diversion of many precious resources, including men, to commit to the battle." Fassad patiently explained. "Which would drive up prices for food and water, as well as take away time from blacksmiths to serve public needs. War takes its toll on the merchant trade."

Ness was about to speak, but Fassad held him down with a finger.

"Let me finish. As the Nowhere Kingdom has the right to conscript able bodied men into the army as they feel necessary, it would also mean that families would possibly lose fathers, husbands, without prior knowledge provided by a vote."

Even though he had no reason to believe such, Ness felt that Fassad brought up family because he knew Ness's standpoint on this topic.

"This is why sieges and other massive troop movements required public voting, so the commoners and Nobility alike could decide together whether the move was an appropriate one." Fassad finished.

"But what about before King Lucas's rule? Where voting was a nonexistent ideal?" Ness recalled Jeff's history lesson.

"Back then," Fassad said in a dramatic dark tone. "When wars went unannounced and undecided by the public, they usually created chaos and disarray. Many men were sent away, some never to return, and many serfs found themselves unable to afford food. It was only after a victorious siege and the gain of good land that the Kingdom could recover from the losses sustained during battle."

Fassad was succeeding in creating imagery in Ness's head. And he was imagining Tazmily Estate in shambles, an image incredibly similar to his last memories of Eagleland.

"If Nowhere survived back then, there is no reason to believe they would survive now." Ness tried.

"Are you suggesting," Fassad leaned forward. "That we go back to the barbaric old ways, where the public had no say in when their normal lives were about to be disrupted, sometimes beyond repair?"

Annoyingly, he couldn't deny that he _wasn't _saying that.

"Of course not." Fassad answered for him, leaning back again. "This is why we must not let this Act pass so hastily."

Ness didn't feel ready to give into Fassad's points yet. "But what about during an attack on our territory? If we needed to mobilize to defend against attack, waiting for all votes could prove disastrous."

"Ah." The moustached man raised a large finger. "That is the key word, is it not? _If._ The Act written here is delightfully vague. An attack that results in heavy loss or shed blood. That covers anything from massive siege to a small band of rogue soldiers from other Kingdoms pillaging a town. Of course, that means..."

"...any excuse can pass off as reason to start a war with another Kingdom." Ness said stiffly.

"Precisely." Fassad seemed to gain momentum the more he spoke. "As the Act states that if the King declares attack on another Kingdom, it would also no longer need a vote so long as it follows an attack on Nowhere first. No matter how you look at it, this policy is a set up to return the power rightfully granted to the people back to the Royals."

"But what if a legitimate attack on the Kingdom were to happen?" Though Ness assumed that there was a prepared answer waiting for his question.

"There are reasons why Nowhere is such a successful and massive Kingdom, achieved all within 400 years." Fassad said. "It has defended attack after attack, siege after siege, on all fronts and Estates without trouble, without the need to divert any majority of its forces. If an attack were to happen, it would hardly be an exception. There is no need to move half the army just to hold it off."

It bothered Ness, how everything this man was saying made sense. Ever since meeting Lucas, Duster, and many other Royals of the Castle, he's believed that everything they did was for the good of the Kingdom, and that they were honest people. But he also knew they were incredibly shrewd, which meant that this Act was by no chance just careless with its wording, it was a calculated ploy, one that was solved by Fassad. And what Fassad was telling him was that King Lucas and his underlings were deceiving and power hungry, and Ness didn't want to believe that.

There was a momentary lapse in speech, as Fassad's unchanging expression studied the unsettled face of his young companion at the table. Unnoticed by anyone, Fassad was actually carefully measuring and deconstructing the boy. Ness was an interesting person, very interesting indeed.

"Young sir, I trust you are thinking carefully over what I have just revealed to you?"

"I just can't make sense of it..." Ness said, looking down at the table. "The King introduced voting to Nowhere to give the people a say..."

This time Fassad actually laughed. Ness thought it was the strangest laugh he's ever heard, a nasal 'Nwe he he he' kind of laugh. "Oh my dear boy, you must understand that everything is done for a reason. Think for a moment, why do you think King Lucas would introduce voting, then try to find ways around it to gain absolute control again?"

The answer came faster than Ness expected. Was that a good or bad thing?

"He wants to gain the favour of his people."

The large man nodded. "A Kingdom and its Ruler is nothing, _nothing_, without its people. Historically though, the people have had no choice but accept the Monarchy's absolute rule, and that has created bitterness. What King Lucas has done is worse. He is manipulating his subjects, lying, deceiving, and underestimating them." He slammed a pudgy hand on the First Response Aggressions Act. "Making them think they have control over their lives while they don't, giving them false hope that they can make a difference while they can't. Does that not disgust you?"

Ness felt that Fassad was perhaps a bit too overly passionate, and exaggerating the circumstances. But what the man was saying was hitting home hard. Ness hated not having control over his life, and he hated being lied to. But was King Lucas truly doing all of that?

And also... "I must ask, how do you know so much about our Nowhere Kingdom when you say you hail from Minch?"

If one were to look for how a fat man with beady eyes and a curved moustache could appear so proud and disarming, Fassad would be where they end their search. "I think of myself as an ambassador, one who spreads the good word of the kindly and wise King Porky to all. To be able to do my job properly, I must have knowledge of many Kingdoms, so I may hope to reform them to all be as happy and fair as the humble Minch Kingdom."

The pair continued their conversation for a while, learning more about each other, and their respective Kingdoms. But throughout, Ness was uncomfortable with how much he was learning about the Kingdom he lived in through this foreigner. King Lucas had never volunteered information about Nowhere when they were together, thought granted he never asked, and it seemed to solidify the point that there was much to hide in this land, and the Royalty is definitely not what they seem.

As they finally parted, with Ness returning home, parchment in hand, and Fassad waving goodbye at him from the Yado Inn's door, something seems to have changed. Ness's previous unexplained hostility to Fassad seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a nagging uncertainty to his place in this new world he now called home.

But despite everything Fassad said, he wasn't quite ready to believe that his good friend King Lucas was indeed a deceptive and manipulating person. He is, after all, only a 14 year old. And Ness hoped that this delay in voting would not be taken too badly by Lucas.

-01210-

"They WHAT?!"

The outburst came from the King's private quarters, where the young blonde was sitting behind a large, beautiful desk, though the strewn papers and books lying on top was anything but beautiful.

Lucas's face was unpleasant right now, Sir Duster expected as much when he came to deliver the news.

"A joint decision by Sir Jackson and the Tazmily LawKeepers have pushed the vote collection date back to the 13th." Duster said, standing straight with his hands behind his desk, not at all put off by King Lucas's reaction. "They have sent notice to all other settlements to push back the date to 10 days after."

"...ugh." Lucas buried his face into his arms on the desk.

"My Lord do get a hold of yourself." Duster advised.

"Have you discovered what prompted this ridiculous course of action?" Lucas's muffled voice came.

"Not as of this moment."

There was a tense silence as both the Advisor and his King absorbed this new information.

"This is troubling, my Lord." Duster said. "The news implies that there are people who have caught on to our plans, and seek to undermine them. It also shows that the public is indeed growing bold. Our control is slipping."

"Yes." Lucas raised his head and stared straight ahead with an intense look. "I know."

"What do you plan to do about this, my Lord?"

"I am half tempted to order the reserve forces in Tazmily to go into the Estate and force them to vote."

Duster looked out the open window of the room, which held an incredible view of Tazmily. "That would be most unwise, my Lord. It would be highly dangerous sending our own soldiers against our own citizens. It has the makings of rebellion."

"And we definitely cannot have that." Lucas also looked out the window.

There was another period of silence. The sounds of a busy Estate floated through the window.

"Our plans do not change." The King said firmly. "Despite this unforeseen turn of events, we will still mobilize against the Osohe and Dalaam Kingdoms."

"Are you certain that is the best move? With the people most likely aware of the position we are putting them in, I fear a move without a vote would incite aggressive protest."

"My decision is final." Lucas said, turning his gaze to Duster.

After a lengthy wait, the Advisor nodded.

Lucas sighed tiredly. It was showing, the stress and lack of sleep. His hair seemed to be losing its sheen. The front, which usually stood up straight au naturel, seemed to flop down more and more over the years. There were lines under his brilliant blue eyes. One wonders how a 14 year old child could ever reach such a pitiful state.

"Fuel has almost completed his plans of Lightning Siege. We are now waiting for that spark that will allow us to move out. Be ready, Sir Duster."

"As always, my Lord."

-01210-

"Hold those rotten Dalaamians back! For the glory of the Nowhere Kingdom!"

A troupe of soldiers, 5 well armed, well trained warriors under the Nowhere flag, raced towards the frontlines, in the opposite direction of the fleeing civilians.

It was an attack they had expected, as days prior, scouts have been sent out and discovered the large encampment of Dalaamian soldiers in the vicinity of northern Murasaki. And now, as those same forces rammed themselves into Murasaki Estate's defenses, these 5 warriors were eager to do battle for the glory of their home.

Of course, none of them noticed a light pair of footsteps following.

As they neared the frontlines, the damage became pronounced. Holes in some homes from siege machines, some on fire due to flaming projectiles. Shouts of orders and clashes of blades amplified.

And finally, they made it in time to reinforce. The Estate's walls had a small breach, through which many white clad enemy soldiers were trying to take advantage of. The line of Nowhere's defenders were trying to hold. Dalaamian warriors were easy to spot, as they all sported a ponytail and white armour as opposed to the Nowhere's grey and brown gear.

"Soldiers, reinforce the line! Let no Dalaamian scum infect our pure Estate!" A captain shouted.

With a yell, the 5 soldiers ran up to the wall breach, and joined in the fray. They must hold back the white armoured invaders here. If their line were to break, the Dalaamians could fan out from this singular opening and quickly take an upper hand.

It was apparent that fighting in a narrow choke is not working well for the Dalaamians, as the surface area covered by Nowhere soldiers were too great. An order of retreat from the Dalaamian commander was about to be issued.

"Soldiers! Fall back..."

A loud scream of agony, unlike any other, cut through the order, and froze many Dalaamian soldiers mid retreat.

By some unknown force, a large contingent of Nowhere's soldiers were now ablaze in a bright blaze. They feebly ran around, rolled on the ground, but could not escape the fire's hold, and soon all of the lit soldiers dropped like singed flies. A horrifying stench of burnt flesh fanned out.

Surprised, the rest of the Nowhere soldiers frantically turned around, searching for the source of that attack, but before anything could be done, another group of Nowhere soldiers came under attack. This time, they were frozen solid in glittering blue ice that stood out in the night like a beacon.

Now the Nowhere forces were panicking, as many simply dropped their arms and began to flee from this mysterious turn of events.

The Dalaamian fighters stared in shock at what was transpiring. Their commander was the first to recover.

"Belay that last order! All forces, attack!"

Snapping out of their state at the commander's orders, they began to once again engage the remaining Nowhere soldiers, this time having a much easier time. It took mere moments for them to clear the area, and put Nowhere's defenders in retreat.

The Dalaam commander was wary though. He's seen enough battles to know that was the work of a mage, a powerful one at that. But he did not have any at his disposal at the moment, therefore he was watchful, for whoever was killing the Nowhere soldiers could just as quickly turn on them.

"Sir! Sir we've found something!"

Hearing the calls of his soldier, he quickly raced to him, and saw a most unusual sight indeed.

Five of his men were standing in a semicircle, surrounding and pointing spears at what appeared to be a young girl.

She was blonde, with a thin build, and wore clothes that didn't seem to belong to her. But the soldiers were right to be cautious. Her face was absolutely fearless, and both her lowered hands were glowing red.

The girl snapped her gaze at the commander, who was easy to spot due to his gold armour to distinguish rank.

"I had hoped to make it clear that I had no intention of being on the side of those Nowhere Kingdom soldiers." She said. Her voice was scratched, as if she hadn't used it for a long time. "But if you do not make your men stand down, they will suffer a similar fate."

She gestured to the Nowhere soldiers encased in ice, frozen mid movement.

The glare she was giving told the commander she was not joking. Hesitantly he raised a hand, and waved the soldiers off. They immediately lowered their spears.

The girl walked up to the commander, seemingly without a care of any possible danger she was in.

"My name is Paula Polestar. I wish to seek refuge with the Dalaamian Kingdom. And in exchange, I can help you gain an advantage in your war with the Nowhere Kingdom bastards."


	17. 15 Training

Jeff was about to finish his day at the Blacksmith. He completed all his orders, and was looking forward to a long break from the hot and dirty workplace.

He changed himself out of his work apron, and dusted off his usual green wear. He used a piece of cloth to wipe the soot and ashes gathered on his thick spectacles. Despite how much he loved his work, blacksmithing was by no means subtle, or sanitary. Sometimes he wondered if he would've ever ended up in this line of work were his father not the legendary WeaponsMaster Andonuts.

A distant clang from the Academy's bell could be heard, indicating the end of his day. Jeff stood up and began to leave his workplace. He paused beside the door to pick up a strange looking object wrapped in dark green cloth. He held it, turning it around in his hand, and sighed, wondering if he would ever get to test out its full capability. He put it back on the shelf beside the door.

Tazmily Estate's citizens were in full retreat mode for the day, though many mothers stayed around to buy the night's necessities from market stands and shops. Jeff moved with the crowd. He currently lived alone in a small but comfortable home, as fitting as could be for a young Noble like himself. Usually he would spend much of the night with friends, Ness being a common one, but occasionally he would retreat into his home, not answering to any knocking of non importance, and spend the night alone his incredible mind to work on new designs for swords, bows, and other weaponry. Jeff had always found it ironic how despite his hatred of being compared to his father, he takes the most joy in doing what his father does as well. WeaponsMaster was his calling, and he grudgingly embraced it.

Jeff passed by the Yado Inn, and saw what has become a familiar sight for the past week or so now. A large man named Fassad talking loudly and excitedly in front of the Inn's property. And it seemed with each passing day, his ridiculous ideals gathered more listeners.

The new vote collection date was coming up in 4 days. That was an event that struck Jeff as perplexing. He remembered back on the 5th, watching the forming crowd of voters, and then watching them disperse after hearing that the vote date has been pushed to the 13th of the month. What should have been a simple and quick decision has been delayed without good reason, in his opinion.

And seemingly by coincidence, around 3 days back word came that Murasaki was under heavy engagement from Dalaamians. As news from Murasaki Estate would usually take 4 days to travel, the settlement was probably in pretty bad condition from siege right about now. At best Jeff figured that Nowhere defenders at Murasaki could force a stalemate until the vote passes and reinforcements could arrive. If it were up to him, he would push the army to move into Murasaki to take out the Dalaamians without waiting for any vote, and justify his actions to the people after the Estate was saved from destruction.

But Jeff was only a young Noble who works as a blacksmith, a small fish in a wide and deep river. There was little he could do to influence the flow of the water.

"Jeff!"

Barely a heartbeat after Jeff even identified the voice to be Fuel's, he was being dragged by the hyperactive spiky haired boy by the arm. Jeff frequently questioned how Fuel managed as a SiegeMaster when he often acted more an excited puppy than human.

"Fuel. Fuel what are you...Fuel!"

"I'm trying to make your monotonous life more fulfilling!" Fuel said, the ever present energy in his voice seemed more noticeable than usual.

"If you would I'd like you to _let go of my arm. _I am very capable of movement on my own." Jeff reprimanded shakily.

"Yeah, well, you usually don't run fast enough so I thought-"

"FUEL."

"Alright, alright, please don't put my head on your grindstone." Fuel let go of Jeff's arm. Jeff staggered to a stop, shaking his head.

"Now then. What is it that has got you so excited, sir Fuel?" The deliberate tone in Jeff's voice was a warning that whatever he was being dragged to better be worth it.

"You'll see! Now if you would pick up the pace with those skinny legs of yours." The brown haired boy started running off again. Jeff groaned, but followed.

He realized Fuel was leading him to the Castle. Unusually, there were two guards in front of the drawbridge which lead to the front field of the Castle. The way they stood was clear they were there to discourage the curious.

"Here take this." Fuel grabbed Jeff's hand and put something in it. Jeff realized it was a golden medallion of sorts, with a Sunflower symbol carved expertly onto its round surface.

"Fuel what is th..." Jeff looked up to see the addressed already running up to the two armour clad guards. He groaned again, following.

"Here he is. Jeff, show them your Crest."

"My...oh, right." So that's what it was called, a Crest. And after showing the gold medal to the guards, he was allowed passage. This was probably how visitors approved by the Royals gained entrance to the Castle.

The two clacked over the wooden drawbridge, entering the large field in front of the towering Castle walls. Jeff could make out guards standing over the battlements, but curiously they were not at attention, most were leaning over the wall, looking down at the flat grassy plain.

"Hope we didn't miss anything...ah good, they haven't started yet." Fuel said. Jeff wondered briefly what he was referring to.

Then he saw them. One figure was unmistakably his best friend Ness, always easily identifiable through his yellow and blue striped wear and wide rimmed, feathered hat, carrying a sword over his back. He stood facing another person that Jeff did not immediately recognize. He also wore a yellow shirt, but with red stripes, had golden hair that stood up in the front, and was probably no older than Ness. He carried a long staff over his back.

Jeff's mouth dropped in realization. The King of Nowhere.

"Fuel, what is going on..."

"Shh, just watch."

So he did. This was the closest Jeff could remember being to King Lucas, all other times he was just a part of the crowd that formed whenever the King made public appearances. And Ness was standing unabashedly in front of him, face expressionless. In fact, both their faces revealed nothing. The two seemed familiar with each other. Jeff wondered how Ness went from not knowing what King Lucas even looked like to...well, this.

They stood a good distance apart from each other, making no moves, no sounds.

Then, as if by some unheard signal, King Lucas and Ness simultaneously moved to draw the weapons on their backs. Ness unsheathed a thin but deadly longsword, twirled it around once, and held it pointing forward towards the King in front of him with his right hand, while his left was raised above his head, held in a fist that also pointed forward. King Lucas took the staff in his left hand and held it above his head, pointed at Ness, while his right hand extended out in front of his body, reaching forward as well.

And the first hilarious thought that came to Jeff's mind was that Ness was going to die for threatening the King with a deadly weapon.

A wind picked up without warning, rustling over the grassy fields.

Suddenly, the blade of Ness's sword glowed brightly, and he slashed forward blindingly fast. A wave of what Jeff deduced to be magical power shot towards King Lucas at frightening speed. But just before it hit, Jeff thought he saw a flash of cool blue in front of the blonde King...

The spell made contact with extreme force, a shockwave expanded outwards like a landing raindrop, pushing Jeff and Fuel back a few steps. Ness and the King disappeared under a thick cloud of dust that formed.

As the dust dissipated, an image appeared of Ness bearing down on King Lucas with his sword, while the latter parried with his staff held diagonally across his body. Jeff could tell Ness was really using force from the way he clenched his teeth, and the look of complete focus and determination on his face. King Lucas showed much less, his mouth still closed in a line, but a small frown was evident.

Finally the stalemate was broken when Ness decided to slide his sword off the staff, and quickly dropped low and aimed a sweeping kick at the feet. King Lucas hopped backwards to avoid his legs being taken out, but Ness followed it up immediately with another blast of magic. A wave of flashing red, yellow, and blue charged at the landing King Lucas, and it connected, sending another cloud of debris into the air. Jeff remembered what the spell was called. _Rockin'. _From the looks of it, _Rockin' _seems to have evolved quite a bit.

Jeff foolishly thought the battle was at a quick end, but he saw that Ness was still on extreme guard, sword in front of him defensively, staring hard into the dust cloud that his spell created.

In the blink of an eye, a cyan blast of energy blew away the grey cloud, revealing King Lucas, unhurt. The cyan blast flew straight for Ness, who jumped and spun his body around midair. The spell barely missed, almost grazing Ness's back, and flew into the distance over the water.

As soon as Ness touched ground, he dashed towards Lucas. Ness was reacting and moving at a speed Jeff had never seen him reach before. Clearly he had been doing something to improve his performance.

He brought the longsword down at King Lucas, who parried with the staff again, but this time Ness didn't linger. He immediately reached back to take another short swing. Reacting, King Lucas made to deflect that blow as well. It was an incredible sight, Jeff had not witnessed many one on one spars like this, and it mesmerized him how these two boys were trading blows so fast. Every time his heart beat, 4 or 5 clashes were exchanged. The sounds of colliding metal rained down upon the battlefield.

Then Ness seemed to take a swing that was too slow and too wide, and Jeff thought that he had made a costly mistake. But why wasn't King Lucas taking advantage? Something curious was taking effect on the King. Strange loops of stringy light were circling his body, and they seemed to be impeding heavily on his movement. His actions became sluggish, and slowly he was forced to drop to his knees.

Jeff realized that wide swing was used to deliver some sort of spell that paralyzed King Lucas. Now Ness was free to strike. He charged up a magical attack with his sword as a conduit, the blade grew intensely bright with strobes of light, and Ness unleashed it with full power point blank at the crippled King Lucas.

For the second time, Jeff thought Ness had landed a battle ending blow, but by another stroke of miracle, King Lucas emerged from the blast unscathed, surrounded by a humming blue bubble pieced together with diamond shapes, which Jeff deduced to be some sort of shield. With one fluid motion, he broke free of Ness's paralyzing spell, and slashed his staff across, forcing Ness to jump away.

The battle intensified, and now Jeff was treated to a light show as both boys charged their weapons with magical energy, and each hit their weapons exchanged created an explosion of colours, along with a unique, ground shaking bang.

Finally, King Lucas overpowered Ness with a hit that knocked the black haired Noble clear off his feet. He landed on his back with a groan a good distance from where he was hit. King Lucas didn't let up, and charged after the fallen Ness without so much as a breather. As he closed the distance, Jeff became very worried that Ness was not getting back up to defend.

But this was a battle of might _and _magic. A floating orb of light green had formed right above where Ness lay. It was pulsing eccentrically, and grew rapidly in size. King Lucas was almost right on top of him, and just before he got in range to attack, the green pulse exploded with a deafening bang, creating a flash of light so intense that it literally felt like someone had stabbed Jeff's eyes, and he started leaking tears from under his glasses.

Momentarily blinded, Jeff took off his spectacles and wiped away the tears, but refused to open his eyes, as they were still hurting quite badly. The flash was so intense it even made Jeff's mind feel dizzy and strange. He could make out the sounds of a restarting spar.

Eventually, he recovered enough to slowly open his eyes back up, and he put his glasses back on. Just in time to see Ness charging another iconic _Rockin' _spell and firing it at his opponent. King Lucas once again responded by bringing up a blue spherical shield. As the spell hit the shield, it intensified in colour at the impact point.

But this time, Ness seemed to have fully expected the shield move, as he was dashing forward with both hands on his sword, which he had pointed horizontally in a stabbing motion. Jeff realized what he wanted to do, and was impressed by Ness's planning. Just like how when fighting heavily armoured Knights, it was far better to penetrate the thick plating by focusing all power onto a point with a stab, rather than slashing mindlessly to try to breach the metal. That same logic could be used to break King Lucas's shield, so he could attack freely.

Ness held tight with both hands and ferociously thrust the blade point first at the cool blue force field.

But something completely different happened. As Ness's blade came infinitesimally close to the shield's surface, King Lucas _dropped _his barrier. The blue sphere disappeared in an instant, but Ness could not stop the momentum of his full on thrust, and he staggered straight into a waiting King Lucas.

And Jeff knew then battle was truly over. It only takes one mistake, one miscalculation to cost you the fight, even more so when magic was involved.

The blonde King easily evaded the thrust, and as the blade went past his head, he grabbed Ness's hands where he held the longsword's hilt. King Lucas roughly pulled Ness into an inch of his face, and for a short moment, the two boys stared at each other from a dangerously close distance. Even though Ness's face showed nothing but a frown and bared teeth, Jeff thought the look was laced with resignation. Then a flash of cyan light from where King Lucas had placed a palm on Ness's stomach, and the defeated Noble was launched from the King's grasp like a catapult shot, trailing smoke from his body. King Lucas now held Ness's sword in his hand.

Ness's body hit the grass hard and lay crumpled and unmoving. His feathered hat fell off his head beside him. He did not get up, prompting Jeff to start running towards where Ness had fallen. But Fuel took a step in and blocked him.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright." Fuel said kindly. Jeff hesitated, as it was his nature to constantly worry about things. But he trusted Fuel as well.

There was a feeble groan, and Ness rolled onto his front, slowly picking himself up with his hands. He coughed roughly, and blood started dripping from the corner of his mouth. A shadow fell over him. He slowly looked up, eyes half open, and saw King Lucas standing over him with an approving smile.

"You've done very well."

"If it wasn't for that damned shield of yours, I could've taken a few chunks outta you." Ness rasped, also grinning despite the clutching pain in his core.

"You're not far from being able to break it, keep practising, and you will overpower the shield. I commend you, Ness." King Lucas offered a glowing green hand.

Ness took it, and started to glow soothing green himself. Jeff watched as his best friend started to recover impossibly fast. He spat some remaining blood from his mouth, and jumped back on his feet, not a trace of injury on him. He then picked up his hat without touching it, and flopped it back on his head.

Jeff was truly amazed at the capabilities of magical powers. Witnessing such power and diversity they brought to a simple head to head spar really made him think of the possibilities in a large scale war. He would have to rethink weapon designs to compensate for this extra variable. And if Ness and Lucas were any indication of the kind of magical skill the Nowhere arsenal possesses, it was little wonder how this Kingdom's military might was so feared, both outside and within its boundaries.

"Well, what did you think?" Fuel's happy voice came, his hands on the back of his head.

Jeff pushed his glasses up a bit, unable to hide a smile. "You were right, this is a much more enjoyable way to spend an early evening."

-21012-

Disclaimer: I own the Mother series, and I plan to sue the rest of you for using my property in your fics. Seriously. Get your lawyers ready.

Here's a story: My girlfriend has a little brother named Colin. He is the sweetest, most adorable little kid ever. But I swear if I weren't in love with his older sister, I'd sell his liver to the black market, considering how much he enjoys annoying the living shit out of me. Since my girlfriend uses FanFiction the most, and I'm too damn lazy to sign out of my account every time, Colin took advantage of this, and was a click away from deleting all my story documents before I caught him. I wasn't happy. He's lucky he didn't end up like Claus.

But then in the late of night, when my girl and I are lounged on the sofa watching movies, he comes and curls himself up between us, and falls asleep there. It was actually so cute that I felt my teeth rot out. But yeah, that's the only reason I put up with him.

This is a filler chapter of sorts. I must say, it's getting tough keeping the chapters from sounding repetitive in writing style. Developing Lucas's character is easy, but Ness...he's a tough one to completely unravel, especially since much of his personality and quirks are implicit in Earthbound, and I personally believe his bravery and leadership like qualities are more the conceptions of us, the players, and those qualities are even more pronounced when put in comparison with the shy and withdrawn Lucas.

Thanks for your continued patronage. I was kidding about that suing thing, by the way. "_No really._" Shut up Colin. See you in (#) chapters. As always, I read and appreciate all reviews.


	18. 16 Osohe's Representative

It was a rare occasion during which all of the Elite Captains are with nothing to do. Usually, as the handpicked warriors of the highest order, they had many duties ranging from troop assignment and training, to representing the King's word in other Estates. But today, none of them had any duties to perform, so they found themselves standing on the Castle walls, watching their King train a young mage named Ness in the art of spellcasting.

Sir Duster stood tall among his fellow Elite, observing as the battle came to a conclusion with the expected result, resounding victory for King Lucas. But slowly, the spars are becoming more drawn out, and Lucas was using more and more of his true power. This paid tribute to the incredible improvement Ness was making. He was no more the naive and unsure novice mage that Duster discovered him as.

"He could've used more power than that." Came a gruff voice close beside Duster. "If he keeps up this soft act that Ness kid would never learn."

Duster snickered quietly. It was just like Sir Isaac to have such an aggressive and straightforward way of seeing the world. In battles he was the heavy hitter, cleaving through legions with this two sided battleaxe.

"I think it was the appropriate power for its purpose." A smooth and sophisticated voice countered. "We wouldn't want the boy to leave here with a hole through his stomach, now would we?"

If anybody was the direct opposite to Isaac, it would be Sir Edward, the ranger. His outlook on the battlefield was calculating and precise, and he could pick off enemies with frightening accuracy with his longbow.

"Well, we wouldn't want him to leave feeling too good about himself, either, would we?" Isaac growled. "If he doesn't spill enough blood, he'll go home feeling arrogant."

This time, Sir Abbot, the cavalry specialist, with his trident spear, spoke up disapprovingly. "Hey now, Isaac, can't you get through one day without seein' sumone bein' beheaded?"

"Probably not, heh," Sir Thomas, the quick footed ground slayer piped up. "Isaac's probably getting itchy sitting around, it's been quite some time since he last saw battle."

"Is that so?" Sir Abbot raised an eyebrow under the large straw hat he wears for non important occasions. "So now you're settlin' for seeing children bleedin'?"

"That is heading far out of my reasoning." Isaac's low voice was meant to be intimidating, but it rarely worked on his fellow equals. And it _used _to work great on King Lucas. "I merely want that boy to grow up a tough warrior capable of taking punishment and walking away from it, unlike you weaklings." He directed towards Sir Abbot and Thomas.

A comment like that would perhaps work up an indecent Knight, but not an Elite Captain, who lived as the pinnacle of Nobility and class. Abbot and Thomas merely chuckled and shook their heads.

"I can assure you, it is not I who is the weakling between the three of us, Isaac." Thomas said, twirling his thin moustache.

"Neither are you the strongest, Thomas," Isaac countered.

"How would that work out?" Abbot inquired.

"I have taken more heads off enemy scum than the both of you combined." There was no denying the pride in Isaac's voice.

"That determines nothing of the strength comparison between your fellow Elites." Sir Edward interjected.

"Indeed not, mon." Came a voice laced with a unique accent. And its owner was every bit as unique as the way he talked. Sir Reginald was of dark skin, almost a burnt orange colour, with large full lips. Usually he would not directly influence battles, preferring to stay back and tend to injured, but when he does choose to fight, he jumps right into the fray, skewering his opponents with his primitive, but deadly spear.

"Is that so?" Isaac challenged. "Please, enlighten me with more of your spiritualistic drabble."

"The strength of a mon is determined not by how much blood he con spill, but by how much blood he con prevent from spilling." Reginald said in a slow, deliberate voice.

"That was not an actual request, Reginald." Isaac grunted impatiently.

"Was it not, my brudda? No matter, you, of oll people here, con always use more enlightoning. Yo head, it is empty like ma water jug after a long journey."

This coaxed out a hearty laugh from the other Elites, at Isaac's expense. The battleaxe wielding Captain huffed, unhappy with how this conversation turned out. Sir Duster smiled at the scene.

"My friend, is there something on your mind?" Asked Sir Oliver, a field strategist and reserve commander. "You have been quiet through this whole ordeal."

Duster did not answer right away, he just listened to the laughter of his friends, and watched out in the distance his King Lucas along with Sir Ness talk with SiegeMaster Fuel and another child he recognized to be the blacksmith Jeffrey. And right there at that moment, he felt content, at peace, almost. It was moments like this that justified his decision to leave his father and Princess Kumatora to serve the Nowhere Kingdom. To know he had friends who cared for him as he cared for them, both young and old.

"I am fine. Merely beside myself with my thoughts." Duster said. Sir Oliver accepted the answer, nodding.

"Captains! Captains!"

Chatter was immediately cut when they heard the urgency of the voice, coming from a sentry who panted up the Castle wall's stairs towards them.

"Out with it, soldier." Isaac said roughly.

The guard seemed a bit taken aback. It was common knowledge that Sir Isaac drew obedience from his men more through fear than anything else. "Sirs, we have an unexpected intrusion within the Castle Palace, an unknown presence, but it has already disabled quite a number of my fellow guards already!"

"Highly improbable." Sir Edward frowned. "Are you certain of what you report, soldier? Our Castle defenses are made to be impene-"

"I shall deal with this."

The blunt statement surprised everybody. Duster was not usually the type who makes such commands, but the way he said it was clear that nobody was to argue or interfere with whatever he had planned for the intruder.

And so Sir Duster, infiltration specialist, the most skilled of the Elite Captains, and personal Advisor to the King himself, followed the sentry into the Palace building, leaving the rest of the Captains wondering just what prompted to take personal action, and perhaps feel just the slightest bit sorry for the intruder who would have to face him.

-01210-

"Your evaluation for today. _Rockin' _has increased substantially in power and range. I would not put it past you to be able to knock out whole contingencies of armoured Knights at this point. I suppose all those days of abusing the ocean water for practice has paid off?"

"...are you aware of _everything _I do?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm the King, I actually have to do work."

"Work is no fun. Your argument is moot. My evaluation, continue."

"...your incapacitating spells have also undergone great power increase. _Paralysis _is excellent, and your newly learned _Flash _is also well casted. I can also sense your _healing _capabilities are improving, you should expect to learn basic _curing _spells soon."

"Glad to hear that. Thanks Luc."

"...since when did you adapt that atrocious shortening of my name?"

"Since now."

"Consider yourself lucky your name is Ness. I want to focus briefly on your _Flash_ spell. I sensed unique properties in its energy, and I suspect that it may evolve into an excellent power spell for directly defeating foes. _Flash _in its highest form is called _Fatal Flash, _and I believe you have the potential to master it."

"_Fatal Flash._ I'll take note."

"Otherwise, your decision making and reaction time both improved, though you still need to work on stamina. Overall, I'd say well done, Sir Ness."

"Ah, good to know I'm improving. As always, thank you dearly for your help, Luc."

"Don't ever use that name to refer to me again. You're most certainly welcome."

"It was quite funny, how you managed to freeze Jeff when you went up to him, especially considering how hard it is to catch him in such a speechless and dumbfounded state."

"I suppose a natural advantage of being the King is enough to bring out the unlikely. I must say, Jeff is quite the person."

"How so?"

"His presence exudes brilliance. He is calm, knowledgeable, a very skilled tradesperson, and extremely intelligent. Almost the complete opposite of you, Ness."

"I realize I'm not the calmest of people, but...that was a shot at my intelligence wasn't it?"

"Perhaps."

"You act more Fool than King, Lucas."

"Only around you, Ness."

"While we are on the topic, do you know where Jeff was headed with Fuel?"

"I believe they are looking for WeaponsMaster Andonuts's workshop. Unfortunate that he is not currently at the Castle, I imagine Jeff would have wanted to see him."

"You'd be more wrong than you think. Jeff is not on the best of terms with his father right now."

"Is that so?"

"Quite."

"How unfortunate."

"..."

"..."

"Luc."

"Stop that. Yes?"

"Please teach me about God Spells."

"...God Spells. Where did you come across the term?"

"On the first day I visited the Castle Archives, when I was searching for information about a missing boy...which reminds me, I should probably spend some time on that again, Tracy has been pestering me a lot about it recently-"

"In the book Advanced Spellcasting, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Let me tell you right now, Ness. If you are ambitious enough to attempt any of them, you must have a rock solid mental state, because God Spells are the pinnacle of the magical arts, and I know people who have died trying to learn them because their weak minds very literally melted under the stress."

"...I'm not going to pretend that doesn't scare me a bit, but nonetheless, I want to know more about them."

"Very well then. God Spells: Timedistort, Chronos, Sewinglife, Possession, Necromancy, Stormsummon, Magicantation, Teleportation. Each have their own unique attributes, and all of them grants the user an ability that most would consider to be God's own. Disruption of the flow of time, crossing massive distances in the blink of an eye, controlling another living's being against their will, even bringing the dead back to life."

"..."

"It scares you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

"If it's any solace, very, very few mages can even master just one of the 8 known God Spells. So you don't have to worry that the people around you are in fact being puppeted by some other deity."

"Well, the image is in my head forever now, anyways."

"Performing a God Spell varies, being completely dependent on the individual person, so there is no set way to learn them."

"I just hope that only those with good intentions are ever able to hold such power."

"...power's a strange concept, Ness."

"How so?"

"Well, what do you consider to be 'good intentions' for wielders of power?"

"...anybody who does not seek it. Those who do not knowingly seek out power, and only use it nobly to defend their loved ones, or to protect something."

"That was a beautiful answer."

"Thank you."

"But it is only half correct."

"What?"

"People with so called good intentions must have the will to seek out power as well."

"..."

"Let me provide you with an example. Let's put you in a hypothetical position, where your best friend, Sir Jeffrey, has been captured by unknown forces, you were unable to prevent his capture because you couldn't drive back the captors, and he is now locked up, about to be executed."

"...uhh, okay..."

"At the same time, a great discovery has been made, again this is hypothetical, but let's say a sword that would grant its user extreme power has been discovered, with nobody yet to have claimed it. This is your situation. You may either go attempt to rescue Jeff, but lose the sword to another, or go after the sword to for sure claim it to be your own, but Jeff would be executed. What would you do?"

"There has to be more to the question right? I mean, the answer's obvious. I would go to rescue Jeff. It is not worth it to trade his _life_ for a mere sword, no matter if it grants me great power."

"That is not how you should be thinking about this."

"Well then tell me what I should've done!"

"You should have taken the sword, and sacrificed Jeff's life because...let me finish! Because of the power it grants you! You were unable to stop Jeff's capture, so what makes you think you could stop them again if they went after Jeff again? What if they went after Paula? Or perhaps worse, the family you hold dear?"

"I-"

"You could've done _nothing._ Nothing but watch them be taken again because you did not have the power to stop them. If you had taken the sword, and made the extremely hard decision to let Sir Jeffrey die, you could now prevent any other of your loved ones from suffering the same fate."

"..._that's _how you go about this? With such...such _blind, cold _logic?"

"But it is logic nonetheless."

"Have you considered that if I rescued Jeff, the captors may not return to try capturing him or my family?"

"And that's how you plan to live the rest of your life? Knowing you are a weakling unable to influence anything? Hoping that the cause of your failure does not return? Not only can you not guarantee that the captors may not return again, you cannot even guarantee that you could've successfully rescued Jeff in the first place!"

"I...you...I...I just simply can't see it from your viewpoint. I care too much for my friends and family, and I couldn't live with myself knowing I let one of them die without even trying to prevent it regardless of whether I had _power _or not."

"...and that's why power is a tricky thing, my friend."

"...sometimes I wished the world were much simpler, much easier to live blissfully in. I've seen too much."

"...yeah. I can relate."

-01210-

The Castle halls were empty, and Duster's hard shoes echoed on the smooth stone floor. It was not a steady rhythm, but rather an offbeat one, with the clacks occurring in pairs. Duster's limp was noticeable at all times, except when he was in battle.

The walls were lines with torches, lighting the halls up brightly, obliterating any shadow big enough for rats to hide in. Sir Duster walked briskly, well, as briskly as a man with a bad leg could. His hands were behind his back, which were hidden by the red and gold Sunflower cape he usually wore to represent his status.

He stopped abruptly. He listened. Nothing but the crackling of torches.

But he was not fooled.

"Father, enough with your games. You've caused quite a bit of trouble for the Kingdom already, and I do not wish for you to become one of King Lucas's to be slain targets."

For a moment, nothing happened, and Duster seemed absurd for talking out loud to himself. But then, another pair of steady footsteps started, and around the corner walked Osohe Kingdom's Sir Wess.

Wess was a short man, which became more pronounced when he neared his very tall son, Duster. He was nearing baldness, with a scruff of hair at the top of his head, and two more scruffs at each ear which curled up, resembling slightly to the Devil's horns, with a matching beard and moustache surrounding his small mouth. The hair was snow white with age. He shared the same small, beady eyes with his son. He had no limp.

"Well, you can tell his Highness that I have no fear of him, or his Kingdom's army." Wess said calmly. His voice had none of the scratch and wear other elderly carry.

Duster sighed heavily. "Father, I do not know why you feel the need to break in to the Castle instead of walking through the front door."

His father scoffed. "You set up extra guard patrols and sentries in full expectation for me to break in. Would I have not disappointed you by not testing it out?"

"If you didn't choose to insert yourself in such a manner every single time I might not have needed to rearrange the guard patrol."

"It is just my way to prove to you..." Wess took a step closer to his much taller son, but it wasn't Wess who felt intimidated at the moment. "...that the manure pile that is Nowhere Kingdom is not as wonderful as you would like yourself to believe. If you had stayed with me, stayed with your birth Kingdom of Osohe, you could have been much more well trained, much more skilled than the self pitying, arrogant moron that you are right now!"

"I...father I will not have you talk like this to me anymore!" Duster raised his voice, attempting to gain more courage to face his father. "Training to be the Royal Osohe Family's protector had broken me! But your obsessive, narrow minded ways did not care for that, did you? You only cared to impress Princess Kumatora's parents, that's why I ran away to King Flint, I wanted nothing more to do with you!"

"Is this what you have grown into?" Wess said angrily. "Some self righteous, ungrateful brat who can think no further than he can see? I see now what kind of effect this Kingdom has on people."

"All King Flint and King Lucas have done for me was encourage me, they never pushed me to my breaking point."

"And that's why you will forever be the weak, scrawny moron you are!" Wess jabbed a stubby finger into Duster's gut, making his son take a step back, almost tripping over his bad right leg. "King Lucas is a liar, a coward, and a thief!"

"Sir Wess, you just might be the rudest visitor I have ever had the misfortune to let enter my Castle."

Wess spun around, his face seething, knowing full well who had just insulted him.

King Lucas strolled calmly up to them, beside him was a black haired youth Wess had never seen before.

Lucas stared intensely at the Osohe Representative, not willing to take his eyes off the swift and sneaky old man. "Ness, go to my bedchamber and wait for me there. I'll come once I'm finished with this."

The other boy nodded, glancing at Sir Duster and his father, and ran off in the direction he came from.

-01210-

Ness had never heard someone talk to Sir Duster with such a loud and reprimanding voice before. In all honesty, he was half inclined to jump in to defend Duster, who was a very kind man deserving none of the words that Wess person was shouting.

But Lucas told Ness to go wait for him in his room, and the flat tone he said it in was clear that there was to be no argument, and that he would be signing a death wish if he were caught eavesdropping.

Having frequented the Castle enough to know how to get around, Ness was walking up a long flight of stairs up to Lucas's bedroom, which was also used as private quarters to let the King do whatever it was Kings did. He had been there a few times in the past, but only for brief visits. He knew Lucas had a great view of the mountain ranges overlooking Tazmily Peninsula, one of the lesser acknowledged perks of living in a Castle.

The door was made of polished oak, shaped in a large curve, and Ness pushed it, revealing the spacious chamber of Lucas's room. A single bed was pushed into a corner, though it looked like the space was designed for a much larger bed, perhaps even two. The stone walls were lined with bookshelves and cabinets. A single long desk topped with disheveled piles of paper sat opposite to the bed.

And quickly Ness realized he was in for a long, boring wait.

But there must be something to do in the King of Nowhere's bedroom, right? He walked over to the work desk, and sat in the comfortable chair. He then pulled himself up to the desk. Now he knew what it felt like to be working like a King. Which felt extremely dull.

Scanning over the massive quantity of sheets, Ness recalled the near shouting match he had with Lucas. Most times the blonde was very easy to get along with, as his calm and observant personality matched great with Ness's outgoing and bright attitude. But on occasion Lucas would get to a point where he would seem less human, in a way. His logic and introspect was unparalleled, which Ness deemed to be a bad thing.

Ness had long accepted that people were never meant to be perfect, or to see everything in black and white, and that impurity was what made humans, well, human. But Lucas...the way he sees everything, it was almost like life to him was a puzzle, and he merely wished to get through it in the most efficient way possible. It was almost like he was alien to things like human bonds, instinct, friendship, _love,_ and all those emotions that make up a person.

So as Ness sat in the King's bedroom, he was hoping to get a new perspective on why Lucas was the way he was. Despite everything, the young blonde was still very much a human, so perhaps his life had been affected somehow to condition him to think like this. Maybe it was the stress of being a King, making all those decisions daily, especially considering he was only 14, like Ness. Maybe being a mage had an effect on him.

Ness began fiddling through the parchment pile. Most of them he read a mere word or two before putting it away, uninterested. He briefly scanned over some notice regarding the invasion of Murasaki by Dalaam.

To him, news of the invasion seemed to come at a horrible time, considering the delay of the new Act's vote. When he asked Lucas about the change in voting schedule, he was waved off quickly. It seemed Lucas didn't pay much mind to it, he even told Ness Murasaki's defenders could hold off the Dalaam invasion until the First Response Aggression Act passed.

Flipping through more pages revealed nothing more worth his attention. Then he came across something that caught his _full_ attention.

Lucas's journal.

At first he had qualms about possibly reading into the King's personal thoughts, but Lucas was too clever to send Ness to his room knowing he had the chance to find his journal. Was he?

Ness flipped to the first page of the thin book.

"_To whomever is reading this message, I am disappointed that you would even think to intrude my privacy by opening this book, even more so that you would think I would ever leave something as personal as my journal out for anyone with access to my room to read. Please get back to your assigned duties before I find you and send you to shovel out excrement from the lavatories."_

Ness snorted out loud, tossing the book back onto the desk.

The sky was darkening, as another of infinitely many evenings fell upon Tazmily. It has been quite a long time, Ness has already tracked the sun quite a distance in its daily voyage across the heavens. Lucas was still preoccupied with whatever he was doing with Duster and that Sir Wess.

He wandered around the large room and began skimming through the reading material on the bookshelves. The topics were varied, there was one on taking care of sunflowers, one about the history of Nowhere, even one about the mental connection between twins, for some reason. None of which Ness really cared about.

Next he started opening cabinets, most of which contained a lot of high quality clothing. Most of which were the standard yellow with red stripes. Lucas must really like the colour scheme, though Ness couldn't blame him, he had a bunch of yellow and blue striped shirts at home too.

One cabinet held some things of interest, one of which was a long, wooden box with one side made of glass, perhaps a viewing box. Ness dragged the box out, it was surprisingly heavy. He looked inside. It was a mammoth tusk. Bone white, with signs of yellowing and dark streaks running parallel to the curve of the large animal tooth. Long, thick, still deadly sharp. A rather interesting antique that left Ness wondering why Lucas would keep something like this.

He put it back, and turned his attention to the other interesting thing, a large, wood and iron chest, sealed with a heavy lock. It was half the height of Ness. He couldn't guess what was inside.

It wouldn't hurt to look, right? He wanted to believe Lucas had nothing to hide from him, he wanted to contradict Fassad. He reached into the closet and pulled the chest out. It was surprisingly light.

The lock was a large chunk of metal with a round keyhole in the middle. But it would take more than some lock to stop Ness. He had learned long ago how locks work from Jeff. It was a simple spring mechanism that reacted to the correct positioning of the key's teeth. An effect that could easily be replicated by magic.

Ness literally began to wrap his mind around the lock, feeling the inner workings of the mechanism. He then started moving the tumblers around, feeling for the right position. It didn't take long for the lock to concede, and it snapped open. Ness used magic to pull the lock out of its place, and opened the chest.

Inside was an assortment of paintbrushes and oil paints, neatly laid out in a rainbow, and stacked together at the back were various paintings covered by a white cloth. There's a surprise, Ness had no idea Lucas had an artistic side.

He lifted the cloth over the paintings, and caught his breath. He gingerly lifted the first one out of the chest and looked at the stunning picture.

It was of a beautiful woman, with flowing brown hair, fair skin, and a delicate face smiling at Ness. She wore a long red dress over her thin body, and she carried a sunflower in her hands. It was painted in oil on woven fabric canvas. The detail was incredible, as if Lucas wished to capture a moment in time and keep it forever.

On the bottom right corner King Lucas had penned his signature, and written a single word. Hinawa.

Ness took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He finally knew what Lucas's mother looked like before her apparently mysterious death. Lucas never did go into detail about it, and Ness sensibly never asked.

He put back the painting of Queen Hinawa, and drew out another. This one was of King Flint, Ness could tell right away, because of the regal Crown on his brown hair. His face was turned slightly downward, hiding his eyes, he had a diluted beard, and unlike his wife, he did not smile. Lucas had painted him in full Royal uniform, with a sword holstered on the side. If Ness had never met King Lucas in person, this would be how he imagined the King of Nowhere to look like. Like the Hinawa picture, Lucas signed his name and the word 'Flint' on the bottom right.

Putting this one back and taking out a third, a self portrait of King Lucas completed the family set. Ness noted how Lucas drew himself in his most basic wear, not in any Royal clothing at all. Perhaps it said something about what Lucas thinks of himself as a person, perhaps he wanted to be remembered as only what this painting showed, and not as a King?

There were many more in the stack of canvases, most of which Ness recognized. There was one of Sir Duster, the Royal Advisor, smiling lightly. There was also one of Fuel, who's painting shared the large grin he almost always wore in real life, and behind him was someone Ness almost didn't recognize due to his full armour. That must've been what Sir Lighter was like before his resignation as SiegeMaster, a job that his son now held.

A surprise waited for him in a delicate painting of Lady Nana. Ness remembered the awkwardness that ensued when Nana met up with Lucas at his house. He wondered what this young lady meant to the King.

But the even greater surprise came when Ness found himself looking into a mirror. Lucas had painted the dark haired Noble with a sword in hand and a confident grin on his face. Maybe it was his ego talking, but Ness felt like the painting made him look like a great warrior, fearless and certain. Above all, he was truly touched that Lucas thought of him enough to conceive such a wonderful portrait.

One last canvas board sat in the chest, and Ness pulled it out. This must be his most recent work, as it was obviously not finished yet. There were sections missing colour, such as most of the face and the hair, but it was still easily distinguishable as another self portrait of Lucas. But for some reason, this Lucas seems younger than the current King of Nowhere. He was also wearing a yellow and green striped shirt instead. This Lucas was smiling broadly, which was unlike the current King Lucas, who only gave small, reserved smiles.

_He's coming back._

Ness's magical sense alerted him of Lucas walking up the stairs to the bedchamber. Feeling like a kid about to be caught stealing bread from the kitchen, Ness worked quickly to replace the paintings and arrange them to the best of his memory to how they looked before. He made a conscious effort to hide his distressed presence so Lucas couldn't pick up anything suspicious. He threw the cloth over the paintings, made sure none of the brushes or paints have been misplaced, he dropped the cover down, clicked the heavy lock back in place, and pushed the large chest back in the cabinet.

When Lucas opened the door to his bedroom, he saw Ness with his head flopped down on his desk, eyes half open, a clear expression of anguished boredom etched on his face.

"Ness."

Ness picked up his head sluggishly and gave Lucas a pouty look. "You took your time."

The King gave a small smile. "My apologies. I'll brief you on what happened on our way to find Sir Jeffrey and Fuel."

"You better be able to spin me a tale of deep remorse for making me sit through what was perhaps the most boring chapter of my life, Luc." Ness stood up and joined Lucas by the door.

"Well, I was going to, until you called me that idiotic name again."

Ness laughed, hoping the slight bit of nervousness in his voice would go unnoticed.

-01210-

As night fell over the Nowhere Kingdom, the Estate of Murasaki was eerily dark. There were a few spots of dim red from stubborn fire embers that refused to die out, but otherwise the settlement was devoid of any warmth or light. The houses and buildings of the Estate stood solemn, themselves shadows that melted into the black landscape.

There were signs of life though. Occasionally a torch would start moving in a regular path among the maze of buildings. There were also shadows that shifted among the taller buildings and perimeter towers, hidden by the cover of night. Dalaam warriors garrisoned themselves deep within the Estate. They worked hard, sacrificed much to take this important piece of land, and they were not about to let the Nowhere Kingdom take it back.

The night patrols and entrenched soldiers kept an eye out for Nowhere forces. For now the majority of Nowhere's defenders were grouping at Sunshine Estate, just south of Murasaki, but the Dalaamian commanders knew better than to assume they would not counterattack anytime soon. So they put archers and squads of patrols all over the captured Estate. If Nowhere wanted Murasaki back, they would have to destroy their own buildings to dislodge the invading Dalaam forces.

Just north of the Estate's broken and crumbling walls was the main Dalaam encampment. Fire pits and glowing tents covered the forest land like fireflies. Here the main invasion force rested and regrouped for the continuing assault on Nowhere. Hundreds upon hundreds of armoured, well trained Dalaam soldiers called this place their temporary home for the siege. Tents were set up anywhere there was enough space, trees were cut down to make more room and to help them see better, and a well protected supply line was created reaching back to the Kingdom of Dalaam.

Within one of the biggest tents, which housed the commanding Knights and other important officers, was where Paula was currently living. At first, the Dalaam officers were wary of this young girl, who seemingly appeared out of 'nowhere' to help them. They had reason for caution, they couldn't be completely sure of what she was planning, and considering the frightening amount of magical power she possessed, it would not be healthy for the Dalaam army if she decided to turn against them. Watching her in the frontlines was a sight to behold, she showed no fear, and held nothing back. She _gutted _through all opposing Nowhere forces, and did not show any signs of remorse.

After more than a week of siege upon Nowhere, Paula's complete dominance in battle and her influence on both results and soldier morale prompted the slow shift of attitude from wary to optimistic. Thanks to this young golden haired girl, their invasion of Murasaki succeeded in a significantly shorter time. Paula was heralded as 'God's Hero for Dalaam', and was treated as such.

But what confused the officers, as they watched her silently nibble on her rations, was how she seemed more equipment than human being. In battle, she was anything but benign, but outside battle, when she was living in the camp, well, that's the thing, she didn't so much live as she did take up space. She requested the minimum, food, water, shelter, and clothing. She was silent. Any other soldiers or commanders who went to talk to her were turned away with the shortest reply possible. She never smiled. Healers who were dispatched to examine her reported that her eyes were 'empty of a soul'.

There were many theories to what exactly happened before Paula became a part of the Dalaam army, and many tough, battle hardened Knights pitied her state, believing war has turned her into something a girl her age never should become.

Therefore, the officers and commanders, along with many Knights and soldiers who fought alongside Paula Polestar, came to an agreement.

A high ranking Dalaam commander, the same commander that found her and took her in many nights ago, stood from his table and walked over to where the young girl was sitting alone, chewing lightly on her supper.

"Lady Paula."

No response.

"Lady Paula."

No response. The commander sighed. That was another thing, she often seemed to be lost in her mind's world, oblivious to her surroundings.

He reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "Lady Paul-"

He wouldn't have had enough time to react if he were a squirrel, as Paula spun around the moment the commander touched her arm and used her magic to blast him away from her. The commander landed on his back, and Paula pointed an ominously glowing finger at him. The other officers stood up, preparing for the worst.

Paula's expression was wild, her pale blue eyes were opened wide, and she was breathing heavily.

"...don't...touch...me..." she rasped between breaths.

"Lady Paula what is the meaning of this?" the commander groaned from the ground, getting back up slowly, warily.

The moment passed, and Paula's eyes returned to normal, and she let out a long ragged breath. She dropped her threatening finger.

"My...my apologies, Sir." Though she sounded none too apologetic.

"...I'll think nothing more of it." The commander walked and sat directly opposite to her. She didn't even seem to notice, as she returned to nibbling on her food.

"Lady Paula, we, the officers of this invasion force and the soldiers of the brave Dalaam army, have come to a decision regarding your future, and your place within the Dalaam Kingdom." He said.

Paula looked up.

The commander paused to study her face. It was scratched and bruised from war, and her golden locks were dirty and matted with dust and dirt. The healers were right, her eyes did seem empty of something. All this reaffirmed the decision. The commander continued.

"You have assisted us greatly in the overtaking of Murasaki Estate, and helping Dalaam establish a feared presence in the Nowhere forces. But we feel that despite your incredible and numerous talents in the magical arts, your place is not within the army."

The opening to the tent split, and a full armoured Knight in golden armour stepped in, carrying a round silver tray, on top of which sat a rolled up piece of parchment, tied with a blue ribbon. Paula had no idea what was about to happen.

"That is why we have combined together to purchase you a house in the Township of Pink Cloud within mainland Dalaam. This is the deed to your own residence." The commander pointed to the paper on the tray. "We have also requested the Nobility there to help you adjust to your new life as a Dalaamian citizen."

Finally, a reaction was drawn from Paula. She had her eyes wide, but this time in surprise, and her mouth was slightly open.

The commander nodded. "If you wish, Lady Paula, you may be escorted immediately to your new Township, and live your new life as a Noble Lady of Dalaam, under the sworn protection of Prince Poo and his armies, and never have to unwillingly see the ugly face that is war ever again."

The golden Knight gently placed the tray in front of Paula. She stared at the roll of parchment.

"It is our recommendation that you accept our offer, Paula." The commander was not used to talking in such a comforting and light tone, as his job was shouting orders at troops in the field. But the young girl in front of him was every bit deserving of it. "Start a new life. You don't need to be a soldier anymore."

For a while Paula gave no reply, just continued to look at the house's deed on the tray in front of her. The commander did not rush her, letting her work out whatever thoughts were in her mind. Nobody spoke. The sounds of crickets chirping and fire crackling seemed to intensify.

Then, a miracle. The stoic mask that Paula had always put on seemed to crack and fall away. A single small tear welled up from her eye, slid slowly down her rough, youthful face. The smallest of smiles appeared on her face. It didn't seem like much, but to the commander and other officers who observed her for many days, it was like watching a butterfly finally break out of its cocoon.

"...thank you. Thank you so much."

-01210-

As he had done every night since, Ness sat on the roof of his home, eyes closed, reaching out his senses to see if Paula's life signature was still there, wherever 'there' was. Ness still had a hard time making out distance and direction in this magical state, but everyday he felt like he was improving.

Coming up to the edge of his range, he made out the large group of life signatures that he had come to expect to be there. Then he searched for Paula, who had always been there among that group every time.

Except she wasn't.

Wait...that can't be. Ness sharpened his sense. Surely it was a mistake, for Paula couldn't have just disappeared.

But on the fourth, and fifth, and sixth sweep of that area, he could not detect her unique life signature.

Ness wrenched his eyes open. _Paula's gone...PAULA'S GONE!_


	19. 17 Allies and Enemies

Duster really, really could not think of a more awkward and stuffy situation than the one he was in right now. He was limping along in the middle of two people who, to the extent of his knowledge, despised each other. His father held a displeased face as he stamped along on his left, and King Lucas, practically as tall as his father, was frowning slightly, walking on his right. The tension was suffocating.

They came up to a private conference room. Duster hurried to hold the door open for his two charges.

"Thanks, son."

"Thank you, Sir Duster."

Lucas and Wess glared at each other, as if talking at the same time was the most insulting thing the other could've done. Lucas allowed Wess to enter first, which he did, backwards, not letting his vision be devoid of Lucas. Lucas slowly followed in, gazing straight back. It was like a staring contest that neither side wanted to submit. Duster would've found it humorous if it weren't between the two people he respected...and feared the most.

King Lucas sat down on one side of a massive circular table, Wess on the other. For a while, they merely studied each other impassively.

"You may take a seat, Sir Duster." Lucas offered without taking his eyes off Wess.

"No, you stand where you are." Wess said, a little more loudly.

Duster didn't move.

"Sir Wess, you are an Osohe guest in _my _Castle, it is not your place to tell those loyal to the Nowhere Kingdom what to do."

"This is a meeting held between two representatives of Osohe and Nowhere. Only such relevant individuals of equal status are allowed to sit at the conference table. That, is the tradition of the Draconicism Kingdoms."

Duster stood stiff as a rock.

"Are you aware that your son possesses a dysfunctional right leg, and that standing for extended periods of time may prove uncomfor-"

"You fool, do you truly think I am not aware of such?"

"I ask because in my experience people tend to forget certain details if they're particularly stubborn or narrow minded."

Duster dared not even breathe anymore. He was surprised he hadn't melted from the intense fire in this room yet.

Wess chuckled acrimoniously. "You have not changed at all, have you my dear boy?"

There were few people who would be brave enough to refer to Lucas as that.

"Care to elaborate?" Lucas asked.

"You still carry the same arrogant, egotistical attitude, believing that because you have obtained a high position and have learned to speak English better than a 6 year old, you can make assumptions about everyone you come across."

"That may be true." Lucas entwined his hands into a fist on the table. "But can you disprove my assumptions about you?"

A loud sound of someone clearing their throat cut in. Lucas and Wess both shot their looks towards Duster.

"If I may interject, the purpose of this meeting is not to childishly bash each other, but to discuss the future of the relationship between our respective Kingdoms."

Duster tried to remain his neutral expression under two scrutinizing looks.

Eventually Lucas sighed. "He makes a valid point." The King turns to the Osohe representative. "Well?"

Wess's stare still lingered on his son. Eventually he slowly peeled his eyes off the Duster statue and back to Lucas. "Well enough. Let us commence."

The shift of attitude from biting to formal was astounding, as the two delegates put aside personal strife at the moment, and began a lengthy debate regarding the future of the Kingdoms they held responsibility for.

-01210-

Ten stories below them, Jeff and Fuel made their way into a dark chamber that smelled of seared metal and sawdust.

Fuel carried his candle and connected it with the torches that hung on the walls. Soon the dark room lit up generously, and Jeff was treated to a sight that seemed so familiar, yet so alien at the same time.

"The Castle foundry and private blacksmith." Fuel said, putting the candle down on a cluttered table. "Welcome to your father's personal workplace, Jeff."

And what a workplace it was, indeed. The intricate bits of metal and wood lining the tables, swords and spears deformed into fierce shapes hanging on the walls. A madhouse of inventions that seemed messy, yet organized at the same time. Jeff was astounded at how relatable his father's workplace was to his own. A bittersweet experience.

"WeaponsMaster Andonuts has contributed in all fields, from improved efficiency in weapons, to new strategies for the battlefield." Fuel picked up a unique looking sword; the tip was forged in a hook shape, so when it stabs into flesh, pulling it out would cause even more damage.

"I can see that." Jeff walked around slowly, taking in everything.

It was a rather mixed feeling, looking through all the blueprints and designs his father conceived. On one hand Jeff was astounded by just how clever and well thought out they were. Truthfully, in Jeff's own arrogance, he had assumed that he was the smartest, most knowledgeable blacksmith out there, being held back only by inexperience. But looking at his father's work, it made him feel humbled, and humiliated in a way. They were beyond anything he could think up by himself.

But on the other hand, it was obvious it took full dedication and plenty of time for Andonuts to build up everything in this workshop. And it made Jeff wonder if his father even thinks about him anymore. Aside from the monthly income of DP he receives from the Castle, there have been no hints to indicate that WeaponsMaster Andonuts acknowledges that he even had a son.

In fact, he's even managed to somehow avoid Jeff now, here inside of his own workshop in Nowhere Castle.

Jeff sighs.

"What's the matter?" Fuel asks, though he had a few good guesses.

The blonde blacksmith adjusted his spectacles absentmindedly. "It's really hard to despise and admire someone at the same time."

-01210-

Ten floors above, an argument between King Lucas and Sir Wess was heating up.

"I realize that perhaps Kumatora, or even the whole of Osohe harbour feelings of resentment and humiliation, but it is still no excuse to ally with a common enemy."

Duster turned to his father.

"That is an absolute understatement. For a Kingdom as ancient and wise as Osohe, it is a disgrace to have to rely on another Kingdom's support to continue to exist. And that is forcefully bypassing the fact that you were the cause of our downfall in the first place!"

Duster turned back to his King.

"Hold your tongue, Sir Wess, for I shall not be held responsible for my ancestors' actions! My father and I both continue to help Osohe because we disagree with what the previous Kings of Nowhere have done, but your pact with Prince Poo, Kumatora is throwing our goodwill back in our faces!"

He turned to Wess.

"Surely you jest, for not even you are foolish enough to assume that because you are not the specific perpetrator of the Osohe-Nowhere war, you needn't bear the burden of your forefathers' sins? We do not regret our pact with Dalaam, for with this move, Osohe is rightfully reclaiming its spot as the model Kingdom it should be, starting with a long overdue plan to avenge the deaths of the King and Queen of Osohe."

Back to Lucas.

"Avenge them? I find your emotion driven logic almost frustrating. You would risk your Kingdom's relations with our Kingdom, displacing the lives of thousands of merchants and peasants who depend on the trade between our lands, and invoking the wrath of our armies, just for the sake of two decomposing corpses? But now that I think about it, I can see why Kumatora would attach herself to the foolish Dalaamians. Both your Kingdoms share such pathetic morals and infuriatingly idiotic insistence to forever live in the past!"

The scorn of Lucas's words almost made Duster flinch. This was becoming one of the rare times where Lucas became completely indistinguishable from his 14 year old self. The blonde was still years from becoming a man, and yet created an atmosphere that very few could ever match.

But Wess was less than intimidated, as the elder man swelled up angrily. "Take heed, King of Nowhere, for the Dark Dragon is always watching. Do not think that your unrepentant words will not come back to bite you when you least expect it."

Wess stood up from his seat. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Leaving already?"

"Yes." Osohe's representative began walking towards Duster, who had stood by the door for the entire duration of the meeting. "There is nothing more to discuss between us. The people of Osohe shall stand by their Princess's decision. Our alliance with Dalaam stands."

"Unfortunate. But I suppose if that is your final decision. I just hope you fully realize the consequences." Lucas stated in a rather dark tone.

Wess turned around, a look of mock fear on his face. "Is that so? Please, tell me of the terrible things that will befall Osohe because we severed ties with you."

"It is not my duty to inform you of every possible ramification of your actions."

"Oh, I've just thought of a great example! Deimos Fleance! Is what you did to him what you plan to do to all of Osohe as well?"

"Deimos Fleance," Lucas raised his voice, "is an advocate against the Nowhere Kingdom who took dangerous risks. We have apprehended the five mercenaries he paid to try to slay me."

"And that gives you the right to send armed soldiers onto Osohe soil to kill one of our own citizens?" Wess matched the King's rise in intensity.

"If we do not set an example, and send the message out to that fool, he might think his actions would go unpuni-"

"You should have taken the just procedure, and informed Princess Kumatora of what Fleance has done, and then she would've dealt with it accordingly!"

"But surely I cannot trust Kumatora to deal with such a vocal supporter against Nowhere if she has already landed her brittle and corruptible self onto Prince Poo's lap, now can I?"

Wess moved faster than one could imagine a man of his age would be able to. In one stunning swift motion he drew a dagger from underneath his sleeve and whipped it with a backhand throw straight towards Lucas's forehead.

"Father!" Duster shouted, horrified.

The small knife flew fast and straight as an arrow, and was coming uncomfortably close to burying into Lucas's skull before it came to an abrupt halt in midair. It hung inches before the King's fair skin, looking like a thick vertical line in between his eyes from the front. Lucas slowly stood up from his seat, unperturbed, but with an extremely displeased face.

"I care not who you are and what circumstances you fall under." Wess whispered, his low voice slightly quivering and full of toxin. "But you shall not ever speak the Princess's name alongside such insults."

"You think much too highly of Kumatora, Sir Wess." Lucas's eyes were steely. "Therein lies your greatest strength and weakness."

Wess looked as if he wanted to speak more, but instead settled with one final icy glare towards Lucas before turning to the door.

He paused beside his son. Duster found himself unable to look into his father's eyes.

"You see the example your King sets, my son." Wess said in a deliberate volume, barely loud enough for Lucas to be able to hear from across the room, but quiet enough to make one feel as if they are eavesdropping upon a private conversation. "Rethink the path your life travels. Return home with me, and I promise you won't ever have to deal with this brat ever again."

Duster did not move a muscle, intent to keep staring straight ahead.

Finally, Wess's presence left from beside him, and travelled down the hallway until the footsteps faded into nothingness. Only then did Sir Duster feel his body relax.

There was a quiet, but audible scraping noise. Duster looked at Lucas and felt his gut flop. The young blonde was currently bending the thick dagger of solid steel into a sphere with his magic powers. The small weapon twisted and groaned until it became an impossibly small ball of scrunched metal, hanging in the air. If there had been any need of further indication that Lucas was angry, it has now been satisfied.

-01210-

Ten floors below, the two boys were wrapping up their tour of Andonuts's workshop. The Fuel noticed something.

"Jeff, look."

"What is it?"

Fuel cocked his head out the window of the workshop. Jeff saw a rather old man with white hair walk towards a pair of guards, one of which was bringing up a well decorated horse.

"Is there something of interest I should be made aware, or..."

"Do you know who that is?"

Jeff didn't, but always the logical one, he analyzed the scene for clues. The most obvious one came from his horse. Draped across its back was a dark blue and silver tarp with a very unique insignia. Two lizard-like creatures, one pure white, other pitch black, formed a circle in the middle of the tarp. Two dragons.

The Kingdom of Osohe's flag.

"Would I be prudent to assume it is someone of significance to the Kingdom of Osohe?"

"Observant as usual, Jeffrey." Fuel quirked. "That, is Sir Wess, Princess Kumatora's personal guard and Advisor, who on this trip is acting as a representative of sorts for Osohe to discuss their questionable alliance with Dalaam with Lucas."

"Ah." Jeff now took full interest to the elderly man, who acted anything but old. He waded onto his horse with the agility of a young Knight, and sped off out of the Castle gates and into the Estate's maze of buildings.

The blacksmith wondered how the meeting with the King went. A rather absurd thought at first, a wise old man alone in a room with a child of 14 years, discussing the futures of millions of people.

There were surely many other factors that come into play, but Jeff had wondered why the Kingdom of Osohe banded together with the Kingdom of Dalaam. Politically, socially, economically, ideally, the two were on two sides of a wide canyon, but for some reason, they have built a wobbly bridge across, and have met in the middle.

And the Nowhere Kingdom was on the outside looking in.

Thinking more and more about it, Jeff realized everything stemmed from one crucial event in relatively recent history.

The Osohe-Nowhere war.

The makings of the Osohe-Nowhere war started with a border dispute between Dalaam and Nowhere. The Township of Murasaki at the time was under the control of Dalaam, but the Murasaki clay and iron mines laid within Nowhere territory. Naturally both sides debated to seize control of the entire package. As the dispute gained momentum, the Township and mines were abandoned by the people and workers, out of fear they would be caught amidst a battle.

With the mines not producing and the Township not paying tariffs, both sides got antsy, and began blaming the other for the problem. Tensions grew, and the differences of the two Kingdoms became exponentially pronounced.

And finally, the tension was released when Nowhere launched a completely unpredicted assault on Murasaki Township. Dalaam was overwhelmed in less than a week. This stunned the continent. Nobody expected Nowhere to have trained up such a disciplined and powerful armed force. The initial confusion gave way to hate, the once peaceful atmosphere shattered, and Dalaam declared open hostilities against Nowhere, a declaration that still takes effect to this day.

Osohe remained neutral, but not impartial to this event. The King and Queen criticized Nowhere openly for the unannounced siege of the Township of Murasaki, which then became the Estate of Murasaki. This disagreement in methods caused strife between the King of Nowhere and the Royals of Osohe. A schism formed, which once again, lead to unexpected and bloody violence.

The King of Nowhere laid siege upon the ancient and powerful Kingdom of Osohe. This war would last for 10 years, and be cited as the bloodiest and cruelest battle, between two brothers no less.

Osohe was predicted to emerge victorious, but somehow Nowhere forces continued to pour in, reinforcing at a speed which baffled the Osohe strategists and commanding Knights. Slowly the Nowhere forces pushed inland. The death toll for civilians was staggering as rogue warriors purged villages and Estates. The men were tortured and killed, the women left for a much worse fate.

The war reached a climax with the demise of the King and Queen of Osohe. They were slain in a battle just outside of the capital Estate and the ancient Osohe Castle. They died fighting for their Kingdom.

Nowhere was on the brink of victory, with only the Castle of Osohe left to take. But once again, the outcome was twisted by fate. The King of Nowhere fell to an illness, and died before the final siege could take place. And his son, who took the throne, had very different ideals.

The newly crowned King Flint, 22nd King of Nowhere, immediately called off his forces, ordering for full retreat from Osohe territory. He then sent massive aid to help repair and sustain the beaten and scarred Osohe Kingdom. A temporary puppet leader was put in place until the daughter of the slain King and Queen, Princess Kumatora, was old enough to act the part of Ruler.

This complete and utter halt in momentum and move in the opposite direction immediately bred criticism of King Flint's rule. Osohe remained silent, licking its wounds from the whole ordeal. Dalaam acted as the bystander, watching the event take place, before resuming its attempts to take back Murasaki.

This was how things remained up to the assassination of King Flint, and Lucas's subsequent overtaking of the now undisputed most powerful Kingdom in the land.

But it had been made clear that the ghosts of the Osohe-Nowhere war were back to haunt those who lived through it.

"I am curious. What does Osohe hope to achieve with an alliance that is shaky at best, with Dalaam of all places?" Jeff wondered out loud.

"Seems Osohe is really taking the steps to become more powerful." Fuel shrugged.

That made no sense to Jeff. "More powerful? They would have all the power they need if they remained allied with Nowhere! Our armies, our trade, it is the best of the best, so-"

"That is not the sense of power they are thinking about." Fuel cut him off, propping his elbow on the windowsill and cupping his chin with his palm.

"...then what other form of power could they be seeking?" To Jeff, the concept of power was as basic as it gets. Strength, intelligence, endurance.

"You are looking at this the wrong way, Jeff. For how long has Osohe relied on Nowhere's aid? Ever since the conclusion of the Osohe-Nowhere war. We committed so much to help them rebuild, because they were at the point of inability to recover and sustain themselves. That aid continues to this day."

Fuel sighed, looking over at the setting sun. The light made his brown hair a rich gold, and Jeff's blonde bowl cut platinum white.

"But the people still harbour deep resentment towards us. For what we did, for our betrayal. Especially Kumatora. Allying with Dalaam effectively says they no longer want our help, they no longer want anything to do with us, despite our almost unbreakable bond in terms of merchant trade and religious beliefs. The more I think about it, the more it seems like this move was not only predictable, but inevitable.

"The people and Royalty of Osohe would never outwardly express their hatred and desire to separate from us when they still needed us to live, and we foolishly thought that they had perhaps forgiven us for instigating the war. We foolishly thought they still shared the same ideals and thoughts with us. Even though Dalaam is so different from Osohe in the outside aspects, they share one commonality. Hatred for Nowhere. And in that they have formed an alliance."

Jeff was still not completely satisfied. "But have they not considered it from a practical point of view? Cutting off all support from Nowhere could weaken them significantly."

"You have to remember a crucial point. Nowhere Kingdom is around 400 years old. Osohe Kingdom has over 3000 years of history. They are an ancient race of humans with rich and diverse roots. To use a comparable analogy, how would you feel, as an Estate blacksmith who has worked here for 4 years, to have some other unmannered child usurp you with his superior skills, then take pity on you for taking your job by giving you a portion of his salary?"

Jeff heaved a breath, looking out over his home Estate, spotting the grass blade thin chimney out in the distance that he knew instinctively was the blacksmith he worked at.

"So it is pride. I misinterpreted it as stupidity." He said dully.

"Yeah. And sometimes there is no difference at all."

The sky was rapidly giving way to evening, as the brightest of stars have begun to pierce through the cover of day. As the two boys left the workshop to meet up with Ness and Lucas, Jeff was beside himself with his thoughts. Fuel had really enlightened him to just how unstable and unpredictable things were. It left him wondering what kind of state this land would be in if humans weren't so impulsive, or so clingy to the past.

-01210-

One day later, Ness and Jeff disappeared from Tazmily Estate.


	20. 18 The Journey in Search of Paula

To most, the stinging, screeching sound of a metal object on a grinding wheel would be more than enough to discourage the curious, but to Jeff, it is an orchestrated symphony, to which he is the connoisseur. Just from hearing the miniscule changes in pitch, he is able to tell whether the weapon he is working on is ready, or needed more shaping on his diamond dust coated grinding instrument.

The genius blacksmith held a battleaxe, and was carefully examining its edges for imperfections. Customers who go to Jeff's blacksmith expect nothing short of perfection, and he is more than willing to oblige to that demand.

He took a short peek out the window of his work room, and saw a sight that was becoming quite common as of recent. A Noble child named Ness trotting towards his blacksmith's entrance.

Jeff sighed in near exasperation. He slowed his grinding wheel to a halt, then slowly moved his seat so that he sat directly opposite and facing to the door. He started the wheel back up, spinning it in the opposite direction so that the sparks flew outward. He went back to work on the axe, and as he expected, the shower of glowing embers flew straight towards the door.

Less than a moment later, Ness busted through that door, and his eagerness was rewarded with a stream of sparks to his face.

"Oh damn... hot, hot, oww..."

Jeff smiled devilishly. Somehow his best friend had managed to fall for the same thing every time he visited so far. "I constantly remind you to knock before you barge in on others, Ness, but it seems if I do anything short of driving a nail tipped with that advice into your stocky cranium, you will never remember." He said teasingly.

"I think maybe if my hair catches fire one day I'd finally take that advice to heart." Ness admitted dryly. "But right now, I need your help, Jeff."

A more observant scan of Ness reveals that he indeed seemed a bit agitated. He looked jumpy, which didn't really fit with the usual confident and smooth demeanour he possessed.

"Very well, please just wait a moment while I put away this axe." Jeff stood up, carrying the large battleaxe, and brushed past Ness out of the workshop.

Ness let out a long breath. He had no idea how he was going to approach this. He would very well be asking too much of his best friend.

The room was quite stuffy and hot, and Ness was already growing uncomfortable standing there. To think Jeff worked day in and day out in this exact room, and Ness had never heard a word of complaint from him.

Many underestimate the sheer strength and endurance of Jeffrey Andonuts. Because of his quiet and drawn back disposition, as well as his very neat look and serious schoolwork habits, and that he never participated in sparring matches, many plainly assumed that he was not the type who would excel in strength.

But Ness knew that was very far from the truth. Toiling at a blacksmith, carrying and working on some of the heaviest weapons made, for many days straight without break, required solid physical and mental power and endurance. But because of his reserved nature, Jeff would not show off such capabilities outside work or needed situations.

He was as tough as he was reliable. He was as strong as he was smart. Jeff was truly an amazing person. And it made him all the better candidate for what Ness had in mind.

But what was taking him so long? Ness grew bored from waiting. He flicked his eyes around the room. He had always made the case that Jeff maintained the most organized workplace in the entire Kingdom. Nary a single tool was out of place.

He then directed his attention to the grinding wheel. The horizontally laid out piece of machinery was powered by a windmill just outside of the building. It spun so rapidly that it created patterns of grey and black streaks across its working surface. It seemed like such a dull thing to find interesting, but Ness appeared to be mesmerised...

Then a peculiar phenomenon took place.

The rotating wheel seemed to slow impossibly fast, now moving at a much slower rate. Ness could not tear his eyes off the instrument, even though he wanted to.

A headache was forming, a terrible, terrible headache...

Sound started to become dulled, and soon was completely muffled to Ness's ears...

His heartbeat slowed, and every expansion and contraction rang out loudly in his head. The pounding of his heart dominated his mind.

The wheel continued to slow down until it was spinning so slowly it seemed like an illusion. Ness could now see every speck of of the rough surface with clarity.

His head pounded.

His breath slowed down, so much so that he felt like he needed air. He needed air...

But he could not control anything. His headache spiked with every pounding of his heart, he felt constricted for air, sound dissolved into one indistinguishable drone. He could not tear his eyes off the impossibly slow spinning grinding wheel. The world moved slowly... so very, very slowly...

"Ness?"

And just like that, at the sound of Jeff's voice calling to him from seemingly way in the distance, the phenomenon stopped. The wheel jerked back to life and started spinning as rapidly as it did before, a blur to the human eyes. Ness's headache evaporated, as did the pounding of his heart in his mind. Sound cleared up to its usual crispness. Ness gasped, sucking in air like he was drowning. He turned wild eyed at Jeff.

"Are you quite alright?" Jeff asked worriedly.

He blinked a few times, briefly wondering what the Hell just happened to him. But he shook it off. "Oh, erm, nothing, don't worry."

Jeff looked curiously at Ness. Though ever since he discovered his best friend was a magic capable, he wasn't too put off by his strange antics anymore.

"Did you require my service?"

"Huh? O-oh yeah, yes I do." Ness snapped himself back to the matter at hand.

"What can I do for you, my friend?"

"Oh, erm...well. See..." Ness was reluctant, which was strange. Even though the black haired Noble usually had the affliction of keeping his own problems to himself, when he did need help from Jeff or his other close friends, he asks without hesitation. Whatever's bothering him now must be out of the ordinary.

"Yes?"

"...you remember Paula? My old childhood friend who I found out is alive and somewhere in this land?"

Jeff certainly did. On a rather dull evening a few days back Ness had paid him a visit at his home, and told him everything. Jeff could not pretend that what he heard did not throw him into a loop, nor could he deny thinking that maybe Ness had been fibbing, and the tale another figment of his imagination. But he understood Ness's character very well, and knew lying on such a scale was well beneath anything he would ever do.

"Yes, how could I forget? It is quite a rarity to meet someone with such an interesting back-story as yourself, Ness."

"Right, well..." That last comment caught him off guard. "Anyways, yesterday evening was perched upon my roof, sensing for Paula like I've done every night since." Ness pauses, frowning. "But I could not detect her. She was not in the place she usually is."

"Oh dear." What a feeling that must be, to find a friend after so long, and the losing her again.

"I tried to talk to Lucas, but he along with Fuel and Duster and the rest of the Elites have privatized themselves within the Castle, and I was denied entrance. So they couldn't be of any help for what I planned. I guess they're really preparing for something big ever since that Osohe Representative visited..." Ness was rambling now. "And I couldn't possibly ask of so much from my parents, they would surely deny my request for fear of my safety, so I thought the only person to turn to is you, Jeff."

Jeff was surely missing something here. "Erm, Ness, if you do not mind, make sense of what you just said."

"Oh, yes, right." Ness took a deep breath, and stood up taller. "I'm going to go after her."

Jeff blanched. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm gonna go find her. Paula. She must've moved somewhere out of my range of magical detection, so I'm going to try to find her and bring her back here with me and my family."

"I...you...I was not asking for an elaboration..." Jeff felt nearly frustrated. It was just like his friend to conceive such a risky and poorly thought out, yet daring and devoted plan. It was all but clear what Ness's purpose for this visit to his blacksmith was. "And I assume you wish for me to accompany you on this...quest?"

Ness chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "That is, if you don't mind?"

Jeff exhales, taking off his thick spectacles and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ness surely even you realize the idiocies of this plan."

"I don't really like to linger on that, I just want to focus on the goal. Finding Paula and getting her safely back here."

Well, at least he admitted to it. "Do you even know how to start?" Jeff inquires rather rudely.

"Well, my magic powers are still developing, but I'm willing to bet that I can get at least the general direction of where Paula's last location is, and just head that way until I can detect her life signature again." Ness said proudly.

Jeff felt there was very little to be proud of in that plan. "But what if you guess wrong?"

Ness took note of the deliberate use of the word 'guess'. "Then I turn back, and try again until I find her."

His loyalty to his friend was unwavering, and it made Jeff almost regret asking the next question.

"Ness, there's a point that is bothering me."

"What is it?"

"You say that you can no longer...erm...feel her presence with your magic..." Jeff collected all of his comparatively miniscule courage. "...could that imply that she might have died?"

Ness freezes, the change of expression on his face from motivated to shock was so quick it was almost laughable. He knew Jeff didn't mean anything bad, and was being realistic as usual. But he knew that in his mind Paula _couldn't _be dead, though he wasn't sure if it's intuition or denial.

"No, no Paula is strong. If she was no longer alive I would know. She's just not in my range right now."

Jeff gazed at him. Ness had learned long ago of Jeff's tendency to stare at a person relentlessly when he's trying to figure them out.

"Alright then. But why must I also come along with you on your journey?"

"Well...in all 4 years I've known you I still haven't seen you step foot out of the peninsula yet, so I figure it would do you good to freshen up your monotonous lifestyle." Ness smiled innocently.

"Of course. And what is your real reason?"

"...I don't want to go alone again."

It was the shameful, undeniable truth. Three years prior when Ness embarked on a solo trip to find his father, whom he heard had been captured by rogue bandits in Osohe Kingdom, the 3 weeks he spent on the road to the Osohe borders were some of the worst days he ever experienced. During the beginning of that trek, he was made of self confidence and arrogance. He was young then, only 11, and not yet very experienced in the world. Fuelled by foolhardy determination and a sense of false pride from surviving the traumatizing experiences back in Eagleland, he set out without any support whatsoever.

The following 20 or so days were a non-ceasing battle to survive. Ness travelled by hopping on merchant carts, or walking when none would allow him to hitchhike. He was always hungry, being unwise enough to forget to take enough money to buy food. He was constantly tired, sometimes falling asleep in the woods when he was unable to get to a settlement.

He got lost plenty of times, which funnily enough was what also lead to his discovery of the battle between the unknown orange headed child and the large man, and his first taste of the magical arts in this new land.

He became dirty, worn out, and worst of all, lonely. He missed home terribly, missed his newfound friends, missed the comforting voice and touch of his mother. And only through inherent stubbornness did he tough it out all the way to the Osohe borders.

He was not prepared to go through all that again.

"I was an idiot when I went by myself to look for my father 3 years ago. And I suffered as a result. Even though I doubt I would make as many mistakes as that last time, I still would feel better if I had a reliable friend beside me."

Ness was aware of how selfish he could potentially come off as, but in order to convince somebody so down to earth like Jeff, he had to bare his soul.

The usually loud work room was quiet.

Then a sigh of defeat and disbelief emanates from Jeff's curved up lips.

"Who am I to deny such a request from my best friend?"

-01210-

On paper the size of Nowhere Kingdom doesn't seem very impressive, a mere 1 million kilometres squared. Compared to the many other sovereignties of the continent it's nothing to brag about. To contrast Dalaam is nearly 10 million kilometres squared, reaching to the eastern end of the land mass, bordering exotic Empires like Kyoto and Scaraba.

However it is still a massive piece of land. From Tazmily Estate it is a good thousand kilometres to the nearest Kingdom on either side of the Dragon's Spine. Many people who are accustomed to living in one location for extended periods of time, like the Tazmily LawKeepers, store owners, or Nobility, would get a false sense that it would be easy to travel to various places within Nowhere.

Ness found out the hard way that couldn't be farther from the truth.

He was standing with Jeff just outside of the Tazmily Estate gates, and frankly, he was a bit unsure of himself. Here in the vast expanse of Nowhere land, potential for mistakes hid in every possible corner. The openness was suffocating.

The southernmost peak of the Dragon's Spine towered over the fork in the main road that would lead to the East and West divisions of the Kingdom.

The first trial: deciding which way to take.

A soft whinny from beside Ness turned his attention to the two steeds Jeff and him would take for the journey. Ness had considered taking Franklin, but figured the family he was leaving behind would need him more.

That was one of the more difficult parts, taking advantage of the midday when he knew both his mother and Tracy would be out and about to write a note telling them where he would be and what he was doing. He felt indescribably guilty for the worry he would be placing on them, but figured if he brought Paula back, the end might justify the means.

Strapped to each of the horses were brown leather sacks full of supplies, from clothes to back up food. If it were up to him Ness wouldn't have needed nearly as much, but he conceded to Jeff's request to bring more stuff just in case. Despite everything, he was ecstatic when Jeff agreed to come along with him, and ever so thankful that he had a reliable and knowledgeable buddy like him.

Ness himself carried a square shaped bag that had a long looping strap, which he slung over a shoulder. Inside were a few personal belongings, a folded map, and Dragon Points from his family's most recent tariff collection from the serfs under their territorial rule.

Jeff's carry-on baggage was surprisingly light. Ness had expected his genius friend to have a much more significant payload, but he also had a simple bag strapped over a shoulder. The bag was very oddly shaped though, making Ness wonder what was inside. When he asked he got a very vague answer in reply from Jeff.

They both also carried weapons. Ness holstered a sleek shortsword, crafted by Jeff himself. Jeff had a dagger hidden somewhere on his body, but it was more for dignitary purposes than for fighting, as his primary weapon of choice was something else...

Ness looked from their horses to his travelling companion, who exchanged a tight smile with him. They were as ready as they'll ever be.

"Which way?"

That was his cue to step back into his magical realm for detecting life signatures. Bypassing the blinding light that was Jeff from beside him, he reached out into the horizon, passing many conglomerations of glowing dots. He soon lost track of direction. Eventually he finds what he searched for, the large group of life forces at the edge of his range, Paula's last known location. He took brief notice that the group of dots seemed to have lessened significantly, but he knew with the certainty of having scanned that area for many days that this was the place the needed to head to.

But which direction was that?

He strained himself to try to get a better sense of direction, forcing his mind so intensely he let out a squeak. Finally he runs out of energy and steps back out into reality. He turns to find Jeff probing his face with an amused look.

"I assume that was something that was magic related?"

"Yeah."

"Very well. It was interesting seeing you glow a magenta colour like you just did."

"...huh." Ness never knew he glowed when he did that. Interesting.

Jeff turned back to look into the Eastern direction, then to the West.

"Heading East would take us to the settlements along Fire Mountain, and eventually Sunshine and Murasaki Estates, which border Osohe and Dalaam Kingdoms." The blonde blacksmith summarized. "Heading West would take us to the fringes of Unknown Valley, Cerulean and Oriander Estate, and eventually to the Minch and Tanetane Kingdoms."

Ness considered this. Both directions contained the possibility of being the place they needed. That group of life glows could be anything, an Estate, a large settlement, even another Kingdom.

"Do try to make your decision quicker, my friend. I sense we will need to get going fast lest we be rained on." Jeff said.

Following Jeff's gaze, he found the grey storm clouds that were steadily crawling in from the south. They would need to get going fast to at least reach the next settlement to avoid the torrent.

Ness sighed, hoping the little help from his magical senses and his instincts would be right. If it turned out they were on the wrong side of the Dragon's Spine, it would be Hell to have to turn back around and then trek the other direction again. He didn't think he would manage, much less put Jeff through the same.

"...let's head West."

-01210-

Nowhere's seven Elite Captains sat around the classic round table that every Castle reserved for their best soldiers to discuss from. They had been gathered for war talks. Nowhere Kingdom's arsenal was to be mobilized soon in offensive action against Osohe and Dalaam in response to the latter's aggressive actions to take Murasaki Estate.

The public vote on the First Response Aggression Act was to be completely ignored. The unexpected and infuriating delay in voting had lead to this.

The atmosphere of eagerness and anticipation was apparent. As the greatest warriors of the Kingdom, the Elite Captains strived, lived for battle, ached for war. Despite the milder dispositions of some of them, namely Sir Edward and Reginald, they would be the killing forces to spearhead Nowhere's soldiers in the offense.

"Ah, what a glorious feeling it is, to know I would finally be back onto the battlefield," Sir Isaac said contentedly. "To smell the blood of dying Dalaam scum, hear the screams of weaker men fall around me, feel the adrenaline of dicing through battalions of fodder..."

"You are the author to some of the most morbid poetry ever conceived, Isaac." Sir Edward shook his head, though a smile played on his lips.

"As much as I have to agree with Edward, Isaac has a point." Sir Thomas jittered excitedly. "It has been a long time since I practiced on live targets. Those straw dummies simply don't suffice anymore, and I fear my scimitar is growing dull from lack of challenge."

"True." Edward looked forward with a longing face, letting his normally sharp and clear eyes slide out of focus for a brief moment as he recalled past battles. "I would very much like a chance to polish my archery back to par."

"An' my strength, too." Sir Abbot added, examining his trident. "I do believe them Dalaam folks will be wearin' stronger armour this time around, and I want to make sure I've still got the arm to puncture that metal."

"Speaking of strength..." Sir Oliver picked up his mace and began to experimentally swing it around, causing Abbot and Isaac, who sat beside him on either side, to duck with gruff yells.

"Oliver, watch where you swing that thing!" Isaac roared.

"Don't be too worried, Isaac." Oliver replied happily. "Your skull is thick enough to live through a hit from my mace."

Sir Isaac seemed to swell up to an even greater size than he already was. "And what exactly are you insinuating by that?"

Meanwhile across the circular table Edward and Thomas were grilling Sir Reginald, who looked as impassive and neutral as ever with his small eyes and large lips.

"Come now, Reginald, you must be looking forward to some aspect of the upcoming battles?" Thomas asked in a clipped voice.

"I might be, I might not be." The usual cryptic answer came from Reginald.

"Is that so?" Edward teased. "I seem to recall you launching yourself at enemy soldiers with a battle cry as you impaled them mercilessly with your spear."

"A mon must mould himself into his surroundings when the situation colls for it." Sir Reginald replied slowly.

"So does that mean you are looking forward to fitting yourself back into the mould of a battlefield?" Edward asked.

"I might be, I might not be."

Back on the other side of the table, Isaac's temper was reaching its peak. "I haven't the need for your petty insults! My blade paints a portrait with the enemy's blood that you would never hope to match!" He lifted his battleaxe proudly, but ducked again as Oliver's mace head came around.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're about as bright as the tree trunks you used to cut down!" Sir Oliver jeered.

"Oliver put that thing down before you kill sumbody!" Abbot yelled. The addressed obliged reluctantly.

"I'll have you know, you fool, that I am the superior to you in every way, including mental strength! Do you not think slaying hordes of organized soldiers take significant contributions from the mind?" Isaac boasted. "In fact, I shall demonstrate to you my capabilities once we get back int-"

"Gentlemen, be silent."

With the drop of a pin, the round table fell to complete quiet. All attention shifted to the eighth figure in the room, which stood at the window looking outward. King Lucas's small frame was a dark silhouette against the bright white of the outside day. He wore his crown, and had his hands behind his back.

Sir Duster, who had remained conspicuously absent from the bickering, shook his head in a way not unlike that a mother would to her child. That earned a few glares from his fellow captains.

"Why must you always act like you are superior to all of us, Duster?" Isaac was always straight to the point when addressing his thoughts.

Duster raised a genuinely surprised eyebrow. "I did not realize I come off like such. I apologize, but you of all people should know that I never think that I am superior to any of my fellow Elites." He said calmly.

"You wear that red and gold cape like a crown, Duster." Thomas spoke. "Just because you communicate directly with the King on a more regular basis does not imply you must act like a better."

Abbot scoffed loudly. "You should be the one to talk. You would be completely lost without orders, Thomas. You follow people like a hobby."

A few chuckles, the loudest from Isaac. Thomas fumed. "At least I behave as a proper Nobleman of my class should! The way you talk makes me doubt whether or not you completed basic English lessons at the Academy!"

An angry blush formed on Sir Abbot's face, he was quite sensitive about his speech habits. "Don't you go startin' to poke fun at my way of talkin', Thomas!"

"It's not just your speech that gives it away," Isaac jumped back in. "That trident you carry is not so much a weapon as it is a muck shoveller. When people come in contact with you, they're not thinking so much along the lines of 'Elite Captain' as they are 'farmer'."

"Right, as when people look at you, they think more along the lines of 'unintelligent lump of potatoes'." Abbot snapped back.

"You dare-"

"Close your jaws or I shall bind them shut!"

The tone which King Lucas spoke made it crystal clear there was to be no more petty arguing. The room dropped back to its silent state.

Lucas still had not budged a centimetre from his spot by the window, making some of the Elites curious to what he was doing. A closer inspection revealed the faint orange glow that surrounded his lean body, and immediately they understood. Whenever the King did something magic related, he required absolute focus, and no needless distractions.

Eventually the glow faded, and Lucas turned around with an apparent frown and lips sealed in a line. He scanned across the round table, seeing all his Elite Captains sitting with the utmost attention.

"Murasaki has been taken by Dalaam." King Lucas spoke gravely. "Most of its citizens have been evacuated and are now situated in Sunshine, and Dalaam has claimed the Estate. I estimate this happened around 2 days prior."

Many of the Elites creased their eyebrows at the news, while some of the less reserved ones cursed openly. It was an insult to have any part of the Nowhere Kingdom be taken by an enemy.

Such were the advantages of having a King who possesses such strong supernatural abilities. Without magical sense, news of Murasaki's fall would've taken a week to reach back to Nowhere's Capital by messenger. Time was an ever important asset.

"This development turns a new leaf for our plans. We must now also prepare for skirmish within an Estate, and cleanse Murasaki of the Dalaamian soldiers. Then, we shall lay siege upon our enemies." Lucas's tone was loud, clear, and commanding. "Are you gentlemen up to such a task?"

There was only one answer when your King asked a question like that. The Elites all nodded firmly and confidently. There was no doubt within any of their hearts. The Nowhere Kingdom would claim victory in any conflict they pursue.

Lucas nodded back in affirmation. "Then let us get this Council of War underway." He peered back out the window in time to see a slow shadow cross over the Castle courtyard. Grey clouds were moving inland, and the faint sloshing of rain hitting seawater could be heard. "We must prepare for the coming storm."

-01210-

"...which is weird right? I mean, one minute Nana and I were completely fine, a beautiful young lady with the strapping handsome man that I am, but the next, she acts up, and now I have no idea what's going on in her head." Ness complained.

"I was under the impression Nana is the kind who would not hesitate to express her thoughts in words." Jeff said, assuming such because every time he met Nana by herself, the blonde ponytailed girl would not stop talking. At all. Despite such, Jeff maintained a steady friendship with the chatty girl.

The steady clops of horseshoes on stone pavement provided a constant background beat. The scenery around them moved past steadily.

"Well, she usually is, but ever since that encounter with Lucas, she's been keeping to herself a lot." Ness shook his head. "What goes on in women's heads?"

"You are asking the wrong person." Admittedly, Jeff, as a blacksmith who wore glasses so thick it obscured his eyes, was by no means a ladies' man.

Of course, Ness was well aware of this. He smirked at his best friend riding beside him. "If you would accept my help I could assist you in finding a fine mate of your specifications."

Jeff snorted. "I'd much rather do so myself, thank you."

A sudden gust of wind blew in and almost lifted Ness's feathered hat off his head. He pressed a hand on his head, and turned back to see the grey clouds swallowing up the land behind them.

"That storm's really coming in hard." His point was solidified by a flash of lightning way in the distance. But it was far enough away so that thunder couldn't be heard. Yet.

"I believe we have enough time to reach appropriate shelter." Jeff stated, recalling the map he was scanning over.

Ness pulled that same map out of his carrying pack, and tried his best to keep the paper readable against the blowing wind.

"Well according to this, the next biggest Estate we will encounter is Cerulean Estate, but that might still be quite a ways off. The closest settlement that we will come across is the village that guards the...Tazmily Cemetery..."

Due to lack of space on the peninsula, the Tazmily Graveyard, named Sunset Cemetery, reserved for Nobility and high end merchants who could afford burial ceremonies, was located outside of the Estate. Most peasant families cremated their deceased members, but the wealthy, Nobles, Knights, and Royals were buried there. A small but dignified village lies around its entrance.

"...let us keep travelling for now, and we shall make our decision when we approach the Cemetery." Jeff advised. Ness nodded.

The paved stone road branched out in veins as they rode further and further from the capital. They stayed on the main trading route, but pretty soon the road dissolved from stone a wide dirt trail. Nonetheless there was no lack of company, trading carts, travelling men and women, merchant caravans all shared the main route.

Though he didn't express it, Ness was fascinated by the activity. When he first settled in this archaic Kingdom, he did not think the people of this primitive land would ever match the intense trading and communication activity of Eagleland. But over the years, as he saw more and more of Nowhere, he realized that even though the people weren't as fancy, the trading carts weren't as big or efficient, and the roads weren't as maintained, the level of activity rivalled Eagleland's. The people were far from primitive, Jeff and Lucas were shining examples of that. The similarities fascinated him more than the differences.

The path was covered in warm coloured leaves, and every step the horses took created a crunchy sound. Autumn had left its mark on the land, but it also signified the start of harvesting for many farms. The rolling green and golden wheat fields on either side of the main route were ripe for picking.

Ness sighs with content. The scenery, the smell of foliage and the cool air. It was all so nostalgic.

"Autumn was always Nana's favourite season." He said conversationally. "She loves to just sit by my side, and watch the never-ending stream of leaves fall from the trees. She loved the colours, and was always sad because whenever the trees' leaves become such shades of orange and red, they never stay on for too long before they're blown away."

He watched a maple leaf float daintily past his face before a gust carried it away to the horizon.

"But still, she would spend many a days just sitting there and watching the leaves float by, with a look of contentedness that I love seeing on her face."

The lack of response felt strange, so Ness turned to face Jeff. He found his friend staring at him with a much too passive face.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Jeff answered a bit too quickly. Ness narrowed his eyes, but shrugged and continued looking around at the scenery.

Jeff carefully studied Ness. The black haired boy was always content, always energetic. But at that moment, he seemed even more so. Ness was expressive, so whenever he was happy he would show it in some way, but rarely would he just sit back with a calm smile on his face like he did now.

But what was more disconcerting was the fact that Nana's favourite season was not Autumn, but Summer. Whenever Nana went on long tangents of nonstop chatting, she would often say whatever came to her mind, and that ranged from her favourite food to her favourite season. Jeff knew for sure that Nana loved summer more than anything else. She liked the warmth, the showers and thunderstorms, the sunny skies. It fit her active personality.

So for Ness, who spent more time with Nana in the last 2 or 3 so years than anybody else outside her family, to be incorrect on such a thing was surprising, if not worrying to say the least. He was surely not the type to miss out or purposely falsify details like that.

As always, Jeff had theories. From the tales Ness narrated to him of his past, apparently his close childhood friend Paula, who like Nana had silky platinum blonde hair and sky blue eyes, was quite fond of Autumn. In Ness's retelling, that was a tiny detail that would've flown past anyone else, but Jeff was keen to pick up the smallest of things.

What did this mean though...well, it could mean a lot of things, but none of them would seem to be good for Nana's point of view. If Ness was indeed sewing together the similarities of the two most important young ladies in his life, he was threading the holes dangerously. Jeff watched him perpetuate that content smile as they rode on, but now Jeff had no idea which girl was on his mind. But what he did know though, was that Nana's relationship with Ness may be more one-sided than she would like it to be...

"Jeff stop thinking so hard, relax for once and enjoy the fresh air!" Ness laughed, snapping Jeff out of his trance like state of deep thought.

"Asking me to stop thinking is akin to asking a man to stop breathing."

"Well, stop breathing so hard."

Jeff chuckled.

"C'mon. If we keep up the pace, I bet we can make it to Cerulean Estate before the storm hits!"

With a swing of the reins, Ness urged his horse to trot faster. Ness's energy was ever so contagious, it was one of the many things that attracted Jeff to become his best friend. Smiling, he lightly tapped his horse's flank, and chased after the black haired boy from another land.

-01210-

Lucas briefly left his circle of Elite Captains for a break. War councils, how tiresome they were.

He joined his lifetime friend Fuel beside the window. Apparently he needed to rest his eyes as well after staring at a map and thinking up strategies for so long.

Fuel...he had been one of the rare constants in Lucas's life. He was there when he was 3, he's still here now when he was 14. He was there when he was still a young, clueless child, he's still here now when he's the King of the entire Nowhere Kingdom. He even seemed to evolve to fit better into the mould that is Lucas's life. When he was younger, he would stick by and play games with him. As he grew, he would have sparring matches with him. And now, he served as his faithful SiegeMaster, the bird's eye above the battlefield. For everything he did, Lucas was eternally grateful.

"So, what's been going on with our Capital?" Lucas stretched out his arms.

"You don't know what you've been missing out!" Fuel gestured unnecessarily. "It has been a nonstop bundle of excitement and suspense! You see that serf down yonder? He _almost tripped over that rock! _I tell you, my Lord, things have never been more excit – it's been boring as Hell."

It was incredibly hard to hold back a smile around Fuel. The way he manipulated the mood around him was nothing short of amazing.

"You've been working exceptionally hard lately." The King commented. "Are you sure you can handle this task by yourself?"

No immediate answer came, Fuel stared out into the cloudy landscape. The first few drops of rain were descending upon the peninsula.

"It is a monumental task, for certain, and I would be foolish to claim that it doesn't intimidate me a bit," his words sounded heavy. "But I have a legacy to uphold, and I will see it through. I lack experience, but not ability or strength. Trust me to complete my duties, Lucas."

And that's another thing. He could turn very serious if need be. It seemed unorthodox for his cheery character, but holding such an incredibly important and reliant position needed him to be able to switch to a more resolute and no-nonsense stage.

"Thank you, old friend. I trust you can do your work well."

"I would never disappoint."

Mixed chatter from the Captains behind them. Rumbling thunder and rainfall in front of them. In spite of the various loud sounds, the atmosphere was very calming.

"Look." Fuel said.

Lucas did, and instantly knew what Fuel was talking about. Despite the increasing rain, a group of Tazmily citizenry have gathered in a vacant spot in the Estate. There were enough people gathered to be visible from the Castle. Their attention was set on one person.

"You suppose it's that haggler Fassad again?" Lucas figured.

"Probably. On my last scout through the Estate I found he has gathered more followers than ever before" Fuel replied, folding his arms. "A few of them I could recall, as they are farmers working the land of some of my Noble friends' family lands."

Every Noble in Tazmily laid claim to their status because of one important reason, they owned land. Whether it be a small block in the crowded Estate, or a large field of farmlands outside Tazmily. The people who used their land for farming, conducting business, or other objectives, paid monthly tariffs by either Dragon Points, through a portion of their harvest or products, or offering services to the Noble landlords. It was a system that created the social caste and class distinction that held to that day.

Jeff staked claim to numerous shops in the Estate. Fuel owned the plot that held the Yado Inn. Ness had a large chunk of farms just outside of Tazmily.

Fuel continued. "One of them I vividly remember. Butch was his name. Rather fat man, stubby, but rode two of the most majestic horses I have ever seen, dragging along a massive luxurious trading cart. I've met that man before, he's a farmer and livestock man, works under Ness's land, and I can tell you that there was no possible way he could acquire enough DP for even one of those steeds."

Of course, usually the going-ons of the bottom classes like farmers were well beneath the notice of Royals, but there must be some reason Fuel brought this up.

"What do you suspect? Theft?" Lucas said.

"No, I don't think he has the ability to do so. I think it may be related to why he's such a big proponent of that traveller Fassad and whatever he's up to."

"Hmm." Lucas narrowed his eyes. "So you think Fassad is bribing our citizenry into going with whatever nonsense he's spouting?"

"It's possible."

"Where is this gentleman Fassad staying as of current?"

"I believe he's on extended stay...at...Yado..." Fuel came to the realization at the same time Lucas did, his eyes widened. "You don't suppose he was behind the delay in voting for the Act, do you?"

"It's possible," Lucas was now staring with much more interest at the growing crowd in Tazmily Estate. "He must be quite the one with words if he's able to gather so much attention."

"I've only heard snippets of his speeches, but apparently he's pushing for the people of Nowhere to question their lives, and strive for more happiness, something along those lines." Fuel shook his head. "This has the potential to turn into a real painful thorn on our side."

That was very true. The Nowhere Kingdom had a lot of its power in the cooperation and passiveness of its people. If the people were happy, or under the illusion that they were leading happy lives, then peace would last. But if some trigger for the people to question their lives under King Lucas's rule was pulled, the structure of unity could come undone. Insurrection was the last thing Lucas needed now, as his soldiers prepared to push back against Dalaam and their former ally Osohe.

"This man, where did he originate from?" Lucas asked.

"From what I heard, the Minch Kingdom."

The King raised a curious eyebrow. "Really now? We don't get many visitors from that place. That sovereign can barely call itself a Kingdom."

Fuel faced Lucas. "You're worried, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." He admitted. "We have limited information about Minch, and this man...something is off about his appearance. I can feel it..."

A moment of quiet as Lucas wordlessly gazed out at his Estate. Rain was beginning to really come down, and the crowd was scattering for shelter, breaking up the congregation.

"...maybe I'm just being paranoid..." Lucas sighed. "I don't have the energy to deal with such a petty issue now. Things like this happen, there's bound to be bouts of doubt that occur from time to time. It'll blow over. Right now, we need to focus on our upcoming trip to Argilla and the subsequent battles."

"If you say so, Lucas." With that, both boys briskly left the window side and joined back in the conversation with the Elite Captains.

-01210-

"Jeff?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when I said we might be able to make it to Cerulean Estate?"

"Yes I do."

Ness gritted his teeth, brushing strands of soaked black hair from his eyes. His entire body was drenched in rain, which was coming down in torrents. His hat helped very little to shelter the storm. Jeff was not much better off, as his normally well kept hair flopped down over his spectacles, and his waterlogged shirt clung to his skin.

"That was a stupid thing to say, wasn't it?" Ness finished his point sourly.

"Yes, well, you're not the first person to look upon the past and think something you did back then was stupid." Jeff somehow continued to talk in such a regular voice, staying classy even in uncomfortable conditions.

"Goddamn this rain's really coming down." Ness gasped. He was practically drowning. Thunder erupted all around them.

"Size deceives speed." Jeff quipped. "The massive storm clouds give the illusion of being slow moving, and we unfortunately fell for it."

"Yeah..." Ness looked around. The surroundings darkened significantly. Puddles of muddy water were forming, and their horses were having a hard time travelling at a steady pace, having to pull their slender legs out of the mud every step they took. Somehow every other person sharing the route disappeared just before the storm hit. Ness realized how truly inexperienced they were at travelling.

Suddenly Ness's horse got its front left hoof stuck deep in the mud. He had to hold on tight as his ride began to lean to one side. He pulled on the reins, trying to get his horse to pull out. With heavy effort, the brown steed dragged his stuck leg out of the mud's hold with a nasty squelching sound.

"We'll have to settle for Sunset Cemetery for our first night." Jeff said, pulling off his glasses and wiping it with a cloth. But as soon as he replaced them, they were showered by raindrops again. "It should be nearby, at least I hope it is."

"One can only hope...our horses are getting tired too, we all need to rest." Ness panted.

"How do you know our horses are tired?"

"As a mage, you pick up on abilities you never thought possible before. The horses told me they are getting winded." Ness gestured to their rides. The horses' manes were dragged down and dripping.

"Ah..." That was one of the more interesting abilities in Jeff's opinion. Being able to communicate with animals. There was always the curious question to whether animals have their own way of 'talking'. Apparently they do.

The rain pounded all around them.

"Ask them if they'll be able to last a few more kilometres to Sunset Cemetery." Jeff said, experimenting.

Ness obliged. "Well guys? You think you can do it?"

Absurdly enough, the two horses both nodded their heads up and down, while spluttering and whinnying quietly. Jeff was fascinated.

"Well, your horse said he can manage, while mine said he'll try his best, though it may be tough considering how heavy I am-wait what?" Ness shouted indignantly.

The horse nickered.

"I am not fat! How on earth am I fat? Jeff am I fat?"

Jeff's answer was cut off violently with a flash of lighting, followed almost instantly by a very loud crack of thunder. That bolt struck a bit too close for comfort.

"You don't need to be fat to be a lightning rod," Jeff muttered. "Come, let us get going."

"Wait, was that a yes or no?"

-01210-

By the time the duo arrived at the village outside Sunset Cemetery, evening had set in and it was already quite dark. They were the only ones still outside in the pouring rain. Around them, rows of windows shaded orange from torches provided ample light to see. Streaks of rain that fell by the windows were briefly illuminated.

Unfortunately because they were not fast enough, the only inn in the village had been completely booked for the night. Now they were aimlessly wandering the town, dejectedly trying to find shelter for the night.

"If you do not mind me saying, our journey has not started on the best footing." Even Jeff had limits to his patience and endurance.

"Agreed. Apologies." Ness mumbles. He was getting really cold. He had tried to keep Jeff, the horses, and himself warm with magic power, but found it hard to maintain the effort for very long.

"If it comes down to it, we will have to suck in our pride and knock on some doors, and hope the persons there have enough kindness in their heart to allow us to dwell for a night." Jeff said tiredly.

"If it's a place to spend the night you seek, I would gladly help you young gentlemen." A parched sounding voice drew both their attentions to a rather short elderly man standing under a wooden awning of a large old house.

Ness had no idea who the old man was, merely grateful that he offered. Jeff however, did.

"GraveMaster Nippolyte..." Jeff breathed.

That was a name Ness had heard somewhere before in passing conversation. A skilled-trades person who's reputation precedes him.

Nippolyte was an ancient looking man, with streaky white hair, disheveled beard, and wrinkles all over his face. Some say he has outlived many of the people that are now buried in his graveyard. Some say he had been around since the creation of Nowhere Kingdom, even though that was 4 centuries ago. Some say that he had in fact died a long time ago, but the Dark Dragon reanimated his corpse, and used him as a 'gatekeeper' for His afterlife realm.

Whatever the myths, the general consensus was that Nippolyte was as wise as he was old. The man's Sunset Cemetery was well regarded to be the best, with top notch gravestones and well maintained grounds.

"I hope my title is not what's making you hesitate from getting out of the rain." Nippolyte rasped. "Get inside, and I'll get you some chow and set up the spare rooms for you. Leave the horses to me."

-01210-

After a lengthy and cliché bout of thank you's and compliments for GraveMaster Nippolyte, Ness and Jeff put some food in their stomachs before retiring to their individual bedrooms for the night. The old house this gravekeeper lived in was extremely spacious, and considering that he lived by himself here, Ness wondered what he usually did with all the extra rooms and furniture here.

Sleep was eluding Ness. The rain continued to fall outside, the soothing sound of Autumn showers were usually more than enough to ease him into dreamland, but not tonight. He pinned the blame on the excitement and anticipation over such a grand quest, as he was still brimming with optimism. It seemed like nothing could stop them, the storm was a mere delay of the inevitable success.

Ness flipped off his covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Lying there was no good, he needed to burn off some of the energy or he was going to be lethargic the whole of tomorrow. He slipped off the bed, and took slow, light steps out the room and into the hallway. Despite his caution, each step was accompanied by a creak and groan from the old wooden floorboards. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't wake Nippolyte or...

Well, it turned out he needn't have worried about waking up Jeff, as when he passed by his friend's door, he saw the outline of dim yellow around the frame that told him a candle was lit in there. There were small tinkling sounds coming from inside.

Ness slowly pushed into Jeff's room. The blonde had his back to him, sitting on the floor, working away. In his lap was...something... Ness couldn't tell as Jeff was blocking the way, but he saw glimpses of what appeared to be a bowstring, crossbow bolts, and curved metal...

Disrupting Jeff when he was so intensely concentrated would be quite impolite, so Ness slowly retreated back out and closed the door. He would ask about it later tomorrow.

Continuing down the hallway Ness came across all sorts of oddities. Trinkets, animal skeletons, strange tools, and the occasional coffin lying against the wall, which slightly disturbed him. In the relative darkness, along with the thunderstorm outside, it seemed perfect for some undead spawn to jump out of a coffin and attack. Ness shook his head and chuckled. The dead can never come back to life, that's ridiculous. But didn't Lucas mention something about magic being able to reanimate the dead...?

At the end of the hallway was a sheltered balcony. Stepping outside into the night, he found himself overlooking the Sunset Cemetery. The view here of the graveyard was as perfect as it got. No stars in the sky tonight, just the occasional flash of white.

Ness breathed in. The rain made the air smell musky and fresh.

_Where are you right now, Paula?_

Thunder rumbled.

_Is it raining where you are as well?_

The sound of raindrops smacking against the wooden overhang above.

_I hope you are not hurt. I hope you're all right._

A wolf howled in the distance.

_Don't worry. I'm coming. Your old friend is coming to find you._

Ness shut his eyes. He entered the magical realm in his head, see if he was indeed closer to the destination he wanted, or even if Paula was in range now.

But something unexpected came up. He couldn't so much sense the two other people inside the house, much rather thousands of kilometres away. He couldn't detect one single life signature, despite being less than a few steps away from Jeff's room. Everything was blurry.

As he opened his eyes again the answer came to him. Lucas mentioned before that certain things interfere with the magical senses. Ness looked up into the sky. A thunderstorm would certainly fall under that. So until the heavy rain stops, he was magically blinded.

This could prove troublesome. Jeff and him were heading West. If it turned out the large group of life signatures they were trying to get to was on the East, it might be a while before Ness could catch the mistake. Ness really wished he thought this whole journey out more thoroughly before departing.

But no use regretting the past, now was the time to move forward. Nothing good ever came from dwelling on a past full of regret.

He sighed, and continued to stare off into the distance. The rain fell hard and fast, appearing as lines of silver before melting into the ground. It would be impossible to count the drops, or even follow their descent from the sky to the muddy earth, but watching rain was mesmerising in a strange way. Ness stared hard at the falling water droplets.

Then the curious phenomenon took place again. The raindrops seemed to be falling slower, but that was clearly impossible. Ness widened his eyes, once again unable to tear his gaze away.

The headache came back, sound muffled, the beating of his own heart echoing. His breathing slowed to a suffocating pace. The raindrops have now slowed so much that Ness felt like he could count them all if he had the time.

_If he had the time..._

The sound of his own heartbeat.

Curiously, as each droplet fell agonizingly slowly from the top of his peripheral vision to the bottom, raindrops were not tear shaped like he was taught to believe, but rather mostly circular, slightly flat at the bottom, and rounded at the top, like a bread bun...

Headache.

Slow breathing. Need air... air...

Then as suddenly as it started, with a crack of lightning, the phenomenon left Ness, and everything jumped back to normal speed. The raindrops stretched into a line and zipped away from his view. The headache and heartbeat disappeared. He inhaled a lungful of cool, fresh air.

Ness groaned, holding his forehead. Whatever was happening was taking a toll on him.

But then he caught a passing spark of something...

_Timedistort._

Excitement flooded back into him. _Timedistort. _

"_God Spells: Each have their own unique attributes, and all of them grants the user an ability that most would consider to be God's own."_

As Lucas's words rung in his head, he was also reminded of the King's warning to him. God Spells would not be so easy to master. The risks were monumental.

But the image of the raindrop appeared in his mind. They were not tear shaped. They were round. He would never have known that without experiencing that phenomenon.

Ness was hopeful. If he were to master this spell, _Timedistort, _he would gain advantages never thought previously possible. Was there no limit to what the magical arts could accomplish?

-01210-

By the next morning, the rain had stopped, but the clouds still loomed over the landscape.

Before they set out back on the road, Ness wanted to satisfy a curiosity he has had ever since Lucas took him to the grave site of Lucas's mother, the former Queen Hinawa.

"According to Master Nippolyte's instructions, we should keep heading straight until we reach two guards." Jeff said, looking around at all the erect stone tablets on either side.

Most of the grave markers were of past Nobility. There were occasional visitors at specific graves. Ness could recognize some of the family names, which belonged to his many friends back in Tazmily.

Per Nippolyte's words, two guards stood in full armour in front of a sealed off area at the back of the gravesite. But it wasn't hard to see the towering stone markers on the other side, each carved with delicacy and majesty. The two boys went up to the guards.

"Halt." One guard boomed. "State thy names, class, and purpose of visit."

Noting the archaic speech, Ness replied. "Sir Ness..." a loud raven rudely cawed out. "...of Tazmily Estate, warrior child of Noble descent. To pay respect to the 22nd King of Nowhere Kingdom."

Jeff followed up. "Sir Jeffrey Andonuts of Tazmily Estate, blacksmith child of Noble descent. Same reason as my friend."

Then as proof of their class, they each drew the signifying weapons they carried. Ness slid his sword out of the scabbard and handed it handle first to the guard. Jeff did the same with his dagger.

Each blade of each Noble family had intricate markings on the metal, near where the blade was set into the hilt. This marking was used as a passport of sorts during when the Nobility travelled, to represent their family all across the Nowhere Kingdom.

The guards carefully examined the weapons, but found nothing out of the ordinary. They handed them back hilt first, and turned to their sides to allow the two boys entrance, to the Garden of Past Kings.

The first King of Nowhere lay within the Nowhere Castle, but every ruler that succeeded him was here. Each corpse of a past King was marked with a large marble grave, inscribed with perfect letters their name, ruling period, and proudest accomplishments. In some sense, the Garden of Past Kings was appropriately named, as each grave was surrounded with well cared for flowers.

Surrounding the Garden were a number of diligent guards.

"Security's tight." Ness mutters.

"Graverobbers are without dignity. They would not hesitate to dig up even the King's corpses for the jewelry they were buried with." Jeff said.

Finally, at the end of the path, they reached the grave marker Ness wanted to see.

THE TWENTY SECOND KING OF NOWHERE

FLINT

RULE OF TWENTY NINE YEARS IN THE AGE OF PROSPERITY

WIFE OF QUEEN HINAWA AND FATHER TO PRINCE LUCAS

ENDER OF THE OSOHE-NOWHERE WAR

"SEEK PROSPERITY THROUGH PEACE. BATTLES ARE THE PLAYGROUND OF THE DEVIL."

"It is said that King Flint was the least popular of all Kings in the history of Nowhere." Jeff broke the long, solemn silence. "Though you wouldn't be able to tell from his grave."

"As opposed to Lucas," Ness said, "Who could be..."

"...possibly the most popular?" Jeff smiled while shaking his head. "No, King Lucas is favourable among the people, there is a slight difference. Although even that seems to be in doubt these days."

The delay in voting for the First Response Aggression Act was more than proof of that.

"But the bigger question is why King Flint and Queen Hinawa are buried in two completely separate locations." Ness reread the inscription on the stone grave.

"Internal strife?"

"Perhaps, though Lucas never told me anything about his past family."

Another thoughtful pause. There were certain feelings that a being in a graveyard could coax out of people. Here in the land of the dead, the living begin to appreciate life more, and reflect more deeply about their own temporary, mortal existences. For some strange reason, Ness was imagining his own funeral at that moment. The image was disturbingly detailed and vivid.

"Let's get going." Ness said.

Soon enough they said their thanks to the elderly GraveMaster for his hospitality, mounted on their refreshed horses, and continued on their road. The next major stop would be Cerulean Estate, one of the biggest population centres in the Western portion of Nowhere. Complete with the largest seaside beach of the land.

Once again on the dirt route, the open fields were all they could see.

"Jeff, did you get any sleep last night?"

"Some, I was a bit preoccupied."

"What were you working on?"

Jeff frowned. "What did you see?"

"Nothing much, didn't want to bother you, but I did glimpse a little of this and that." Ness was being carefully vague. If he doesn't specify, Jeff would never know what exactly or how much he saw, limiting his ability to lie.

Jeff called the bluff though. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"Just tell me, why do you have to be so secretive?"

"Please just leave it at that, Ness." Jeff said rather loudly.

Ness was taken aback. Rarely did Jeff outwardly sound frustrated. He didn't press on though, he needed the cooperation of his best friend to make it through this journey. They rode in silence.

As they created more distance from Tazmily Estate, the number of traders and travellers on the route lessened. They were basically the only ones on the road right now.

"Ness, there is something up ahead." Jeff pointed down the path.

He saw what Jeff was referring to. A bundle of dark brown, lying to the side of their route. Ness squinted, but could not make out anything more.

But closing in, they realized with horror that it was a body. Ness jumped right off his horse and sprinted the rest of the way over to the brown clothed form. To make it worse, the body was quite small, curled up in a fetal position. It was a young boy.

As Jeff trotted up behind him, Ness gently shook the boy.

No response.

He then grabbed the small child's side and rolled him onto his back.

They were met with a painfully pitiful sight. The boy had chestnut brown hair and fair skin, with a cherubic looking face, but they could barely tell from underneath all the mud and scratches the child bore. His brown vest was torn and dirty as well, and his shorts not much better off. He was extremely pale, and felt cold to touch.

But the very least he was alive.

Ness's hands glowed bright green, and he placed them gingerly on the boy's chest. The green glow transferred throughout his small body. As the healing spell took effect, a little bit of the rosy colour returned to the young kid's cheeks. His breathing was also slightly more noticeable.

Ness looked around. Nobody else on the route.

So he took the unconscious kid by the underarms and lifted him like a sack of potatoes, carrying him in an embrace. The child's face hung over Ness's shoulder.

"How far off is Cerulean, do you think?" Ness's strained voice came.

Jeff blinked, realizing he was being addressed. "Oh, erm, considering our speed and time from departing Sunset Cemetery, I would say a good 100 kilometres or so?"

Let's shorten that distance as fast as we can. I can't do much else for him here and now." Ness was trying to plop the boy in a sitting position on his tall horse. Then he mounted behind the scraggly boy, one hand wrapped around his waist, the other on the reins. With a whip of the reins, Ness's horse started carrying the two bodies off into the distance.

Jeff was quick to follow, deep in thought. From what he figured by observation, the boy they found was no older than perhaps 11, and definitely of peasant class, by the way he dressed and groomed. Though there were no clues to how he ended up in the state he was found in, Jeff assumed he was alone because not many traders liked to take on extra company, as it would tire out their horses. As for other possible travelling Nobles? They would not pay any mind to a single wandering, well beneath their class serf child.

But Ness... he probably didn't even notice such details or thought things out so thoroughly. He just acted on his protective instinct, and saved the child in need. That same instinct that drove him on this rather ridiculous journey to find his long lost friend.

As they raced towards Cerulean, Jeff smiled. This was simply the kind of person Ness was. And he would not have it any other way.


	21. Side Story: A Father's Lament

-Side story. These entail events that are not intimately connected with the plot, but give more understanding to the setting and characters. –

-01210-

"Halt! In the name of the Osohe Law!"

Unfortunately for the pursuing LawKeeper, 'Halt' was not going to convince the fleeing boy to stop and surrender the bread he stole.

The boy knew he made a mistake somewhere. If he had taken heed to his father's instructions, he would likely not be in this mess right now, darting through crowds of people, with no less than 6 Osohe LawKeepers chasing. Had he become too predictable? The guards never caught him stealing from that bakery before, but today, they saw his theft as broad as daylight. Maybe he wasn't quick enough, maybe he still lacked the element of stealth.

He knew of the moral objections to thieving, but he had no choice. The boy was without a home, without food, without a mother. His father had only his unique skills, but nothing else to help them survive. If they could not pay for food, they had to steal. It would be idiotic to die because of something as liberal as 'good and bad'.

Good news was because the boy was so small and agile, he could slip through the crowd much faster than the cumbersome LawKeepers. The buildings grew familiar, he knew he was nearing the hideout his father set up. Another quick check behind him, he knew he was still being pursued, but he could no longer see any of the guards, so he assumed it safe to duck into the old building they used as their pseudo home.

The arrow penetrated his right leg so quickly he didn't feel anything for a second, just an immediate numbness in his muscles. The boy tumbled, the three fat loaves of bread slipping out of his hold.

Only after lying on the ground for a few moments did the pain strike.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

It was unfathomable, it rocked through his young, fragile body. He screamed and spasmed and leaked tears uncontrollably. He curled up and grabbed his right leg, which still had a long arrow sticking out of it. He could not control himself through the agony and adrenaline to do anything consciously. A rapidly expanding pool of blood formed.

The LawKeepers scattered the forming crowd and walked up to the boy, faces revealing no emotion. One of them had a bow and quiver equipped. They reached out to grab the contorted child.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

A kick to the face knocked one of the guards out cold. The rest spun around in time to see a brown haired, rather short man attacking them with punches and kicks.

The scuffle lasted longer than expected, as the new appearance managed to take out a few more LawKeepers before the rest organized and put themselves in a defensive position that would be extremely hard for one unarmed, homeless man to break.

Realizing he was outmatched, the man rushed to the now unconscious boy. He cradled his body against his own, protecting him against any imminent danger, and glared daringly at the LawKeepers.

The LawKeepers advanced on them. Both sides knew the outcome was all but assured, but that wouldn't stop the short man from taking a few more of them down for what they did to his son...

"Stand down, guardians of the Law!"

A powerful voice cut through the streets of the Osohe Estate. The LawKeepers immediately halted and stood at utmost attention, facing the direction of the voice.

Riding on a two horse carriage surrounded by Imperial Guards, were the King and Queen of Osohe Kingdom. Everybody who was at the scene bowed deeply.

Save the man who clutched his injured son.

"Explain your actions, LawKeepers." The Queen's voice was lyrical, but demanding.

"My Queen, these two cowardly thieves have been responsible for stolen goods and damaged property throughout the Estate for the past two years. After a lengthy campaign, we have finally apprehended them." One of the LawKeepers stated in clear tones.

The Osohe Queen looked down at the man. The man looked back, eyes betraying no fear. He noticed the Queen carried a small bundle of blue cloth. Apparently her child was with her.

The Queen turned back to the about face guards. "You have done well. You may return to your duties, leave this to us." She commanded.

Uncertain looks spread among the LawKeepers. "Are you certain, my Lady?"

"Do not question me further. Return to your duties, guardians of the Law."

"Yes, my Queen." With one more bow, the LawKeepers filed away from the scene.

"Guards."

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"Send for some Healers, tell them it is of the utmost urgency." The Queen requested. The addressed Guard ran off without hesitation.

The Regal Queen turns to her husband, who had observed impassively throughout. Then exchanged a look, which ended in a short nod from the King.

She faced back to the man, who throughout the ordeal had never once let go of the boy, who still maintained a warrior like face and steely attitude that demanded admiration, even from the Royals.

"Tell me, thief, what is your name?" The Queen asked kindly.

Her tone surprised the man. But he answered. "Wess."

"I see. Well, Sir Wess, is it true that you have perpetuated acts of unjust theft within the Estate, while eluding our best LawKeepers for two years?"

"It is." Despite everything, there was pride in the man, Wess's voice.

The Queen smiled, and gently rocked the blue bundle in her arms. A small cooing sound could be heard in reply.

"Then allow me to make you an offer." She said, looking at Wess and his son.

-01210-

They had been the best of friends for as long as his human memory could recall. They grew up, both with the highest expectations possible, both with enormous power and privileges entitles to them from birth. They stepped up to their respective roles together, side by side, inseparable.

As tragedy struck his best friend, he grieved alongside him, shared his pain, and was always by his side. But unfortunately, his best friend, who he thought was so strong, so kind, so enduring, could not endure through the time of hardship in his life. In the end, he was met with a fate that was as cruel as it was appropriate. He was assassinated.

And thus ended the rule of King Flint.

But what of the friend he left behind? Lighter was more than rattled. He was broken. What it was like to lose someone so close to you, twice in one lifetime. He was sorrowed.

He could not continue to live as who he was.

So he resigned as the SiegeMaster of the Royal Nowhere Forces. He shamefully took off his armour, his cape, and left the Castle.

In his conscious mind, he knew this decision would doom his family name. His ancestors have all served as the SiegeMaster under the King himself. They have all met with every task, every hurdle they were faced with. They conquered all threats from the outside, defeated all enemies threatening externally.

But none of them faced such hardship and tragedy from within the Kingdom borders.

Lighter knew with his willing resignation as SiegeMaster, his heritage would die with him, but he could not do anything. He simply could not will himself to continue in his shambled state of despair, lest he risk the greater shame of failing all of the Kingdom.

That was many days ago. He had since never returned to his residence within the Castle walls. He instead took up the cottage he built as a hobby when young, and now lived in isolation there with his only remaining family.

His son Fuel.

When Lighter woke up one morning to the chirping of birds, he expected to find his son still sleeping in his room adjacent. He was always the early riser.

Knocking on the wooden door provided no response, so he pushed open and entered Fuel's room.

The bed was empty.

No real panic set in, the boy was probably around somewhere. But then he saw a slip of parchment placed purposely on the bed sheets.

He picked it up and read it.

And his heart dropped like a rock.

Lighter rode as fast as he could towards the Castle walls. At the gates he presented his Crest, which he retained with permission. He then stormed up the stone steps as fast as he could.

Without knocking, he burst through the heavy doors leading into the Throne room. His abrasive entrance attracted the attention of all the guards in the room, and he was soon surrounded at the neck with shining spears.

But he had his attention on nothing by the young, brown spiky haired boy who kneeled with his back facing him towards the Throne. On which sat an equally young, crowned, blonde boy, and beside him a skinny, tall man wearing the cape of the Royal Advisor.

"FUEL!"

His son did not jerk up from his position, or immediately spin around at his voice. Instead Fuel stood up slowly, and turned around with a look not of shock or surprise, but of sadness and anxiety. It was as if he expected Lighter to react the way he did.

Lighter's face was stricken. "Fuel, no, you cannot go through with this!"

"No, father. I must."

Hearing his 11 year old son say that was a painful blow of guilt and frustration.

"Guards, stand down." A small, young voice commanded.

At King Lucas's order, the spears surrounding Lighter's throat withdrew, and immediately the father ran up and pounced on his son, grabbing his shoulders.

"No, no my son, this is not something that you must do. I cannot allow you to go down this path." He panted.

Fuel looked at him with his large brown eyes. His face showed no emotion.

Lighter understood what he was doing. Fuel was trying to take up the position of SiegeMaster. He was trying to step up to where his grieving father had fallen down from. He was trying to save his family lineage.

Fuel was a lot of things, he was strong, tough, reliable, a superb fighter, but he was 11 for God's sake! He was a mere child, so inexperienced, so innocent. He did not deserve to have such pressure and pain put on his small shoulders for the sake of his old man. He should not have to pay for Lighter's own problem, his own weakness. It was not fair.

"Father, please." Fuel said lightly. The neutrality of his voice was breaking Lighter's heart. "I am doing this because I choose to. I am old enough to understand and take on responsibility. You must give me the chance."

"But look at yourself! You're a child! You cannot simply jump into the world of battlefields and blood! Care you not about your own innocence?"

"To some degree, yes. But what is even more important is my role for my family."

Lighter was getting frustrated. He had to get through to his son somehow. He had to.

"You are not ready. You cannot possibly be. You're much too young, much too inexperienced."

Fuel sighed. "No, I am not. But sometimes, no matter your age, your experience, you must be able to take that tentative step towards your destiny when it calls for you."

He then turned his head. Lighter followed his gaze towards the young blonde sitting on the Throne, respectfully quiet throughout the whole confrontation.

Lighter could not think of anything to say. Prince Lucas... no, King Lucas was as young as his son. He did not willingly attain the position he was in. He was by no means a King for the people yet, he could not possibly understand the complex and draining task that was running an entire Kingdom. But what choice had he? His father was dead. His mother dead. And his brother...

And then he understood what his son was thinking.

Lucas became King not because he wanted to, but because there was no feasible alternative. His Kingdom needed a Ruler. Fuel was about to become SiegeMaster for similar reasons. If he did not fill in the role now, before another family could take the position, Lighter's family line would be doomed to ridicule and shame. The alternative was out of the option.

And most of all, he _understood. _His son understood what he was thinking, what he felt, why he resigned. And he forgave him. Now he stood ready to fulfill his duties as the Royal SiegeMaster, for the people, for his friend King Lucas, but most of all for his father.

Lighter felt foolish to have not realized earlier that he had not lost everything. He had a son who stood ready to support him no matter what happened, and he had stupidly underestimated Fuel's insight and feelings of responsibility because of his age.

"Father?"

Lighter refocused on his son, who looked at him with a new found intensity.

"Father, I love you very much, and that is why I am doing this. Allow me to become what I was born to be, and worry not for me, but support me until I am capable of being a great SiegeMaster myself."

He knew in the back of his mind that he would always pin the blame on himself for pushing Fuel to doing this, but he also knew that this was ultimately his son's own decision, one that he made because he loved his father, not because he felt the grudging obligation to do so. If Fuel wanted his father's support and advice through his new career as SiegeMaster, Lighter would be much too happy to do so.

And so, as he watched the inaugural ceremony for Fuel to become the newest SiegeMaster to serve under King Lucas, he felt something warm inside him that he had not experienced for the longest time. No longer was he sad, ashamed, guilty, or anxious.

At that moment, he felt nothing but joy and exceeding pride for his own flesh and blood, who took the SiegeMaster insignia in his hands, and beamed excitedly back at him.

-01210-

_That molten steel should be ready anytime now._

_This sword is not up to standard, I need to sharpen it as soon as possible._

_Calculations are a bit off, the curve needs to be more distinct._

_If I were to set the maximum tangent of the bowstring bend to this degree, then would it increase speed or decrease accuracy?_

_Where is that molten steel? This cast needs to be filled for the next sword._

_These crossbow bolts need a fourth stabilizer, formed in a relative 'x' shape for better stability, but would that increase the weight too much?_

_If the steel/zinc compound conducts magic the most efficiently, would they be too weak to act as a primary weapon?_

_I need to finish these calculations for the curve._

_I wonder if I should visit Jeff sometime..._

_Oh good that molten steel is ready, now where is that mould?_

-01210-

He dipped his quill in the murky ink.

He was not sure what else to write.

He was the man of the family. He could not sound too heartfelt or emotional, that would betray his pride.

But that was all he felt as he wrote these monthly letters back home.

Was he a bad father? Surely his two children think so.

Would the DP from his pay he sent back be enough to suffice their needs?

How he wished he could return. But his work was too demanding.

He dipped his quill back into the inkpot.

Maybe this month, he could request leave from the Royals, and take an excursion home to see his wife and children again.

No, the trip itself would take over two weeks, in that time he could well be replaced.

He was sorry.

He missed the old days, but he knew they could never return.

He would miss them growing up.

He lamented, but could do nothing but hope. Hope that his daughter, and his son would understand.

He folded the parchment, and tied a ribbon to it.

He then wrote the address, gave it to a passing messenger.

And watched it head towards Tazmily Estate.


	22. 19 Progress Ailment

"Keep an eye on them for me."

*You got it.*

-01210-

Rain again, though this time Ness didn't mind as much. Their progress was impeded by something far more important than leaking skies currently.

The black haired Noble watched the rain fall in slow motion, each drop descending so slothfully that he swore he could count each and every one if he had the time or endurance to keep himself in this state of _Timedistort_.

The headache was still there, the illusion of difficulty breathing ever present, but Ness was learning to repress these feelings to gain more control of himself. His magic powers strained like muscles lifting a heavy weight.

He decided it was time to take it up a notch. He raised his hand to catch one of the raindrops, and he felt like the simple action took a tremendous amount of energy, as if his arm was restrained by invisible ropes. To him, the arm raised at normal speed. He could only imagine what it looked like to another party. An inhuman blur, perhaps. Ness observed a droplet splash on his hand, the water rebounding off his skin and out in a most fascinating radial pattern.

_If I had the strength for it, I could probably dash to the far end of this Estate in less time than Jeff can blink. _

Then his magic power gave out.

Everything reverted quickly but gradually until things returned to 'normal' speed again, the rain becoming indiscernible streaks of silver. He gasped in a lungful of fresh air, and slowly exhaled, recovering quickly. He looked out into the streets of Cerulean Estate.

Ness and Jeff arrived just as the second wave of rain hit. Cerulean had a myriad of buildings, none as beautiful or large as Tazmily's, but still numerous enough to make one feel claustrophobic in the narrow Estate streets.

The most interesting point of this Estate though, was that it was built more for the purpose of frivolity than utility. Sure there was the minor fishing and farming businesses that based around there, but the main reason Nowhere citizens flocked to Cerulean was for the relaxing cliffsides overlooking the ocean. The concept of 'tourism' was extremely progressive in this age, and baffled many other Kingdoms, including Osohe and Dalaam.

Though on that day, the weather was a bit too unfavourable for relaxing on the seaside. Ness shivered a bit, and closed the wooden shutters over the window. The little light from outside was extinguished, the room now only lit by torches.

The inn room was decent. Spacious, generously lit and warm, acceptable quality bedsheets and covers. Two beds, one of which Jeff sat on, on the other lay the unconscious boy they found.

They had requested a Healer earlier on, and were waiting for a diagnostic. They had taken off his upper clothing, which were soaked and scabbed with mud. The young child now lay with two covers on top to keep him warm. Jeff had examined him for possible explanations to his state, but found nothing aside from a small scrape on his leg.

"He appears to have originated from the Northern Estates of Nowhere," Jeff deduced. "The thick brown vest and wool shirt he wears are indications that he resided in a rather cold area. Peasant class, though not necessarily a servant or farmer. From his build, most likely 10 or 11 years of age."

"You think he wandered down here from NorthWestern Nowhere?" Ness watched the covers on the boy slowly rise and fall.

"Actually, no. Most of NorthWestern Nowhere Kingdom is situated near the seaside, making the climate more temperate. I've seen travellers from the region, they do not wear clothing at all like this child's"

"Are you sure? It seems a bit farfetched that he came all the way around the Dragon's Spine from NorthEastern Nowhere."

"I can only be certain to a fair degree."

Ness hummed thoughtfully. If this child did indeed come from the NorthEastern regions, where Murasaki and Sunshine were located, then he had travelled an impressive distance by any standard. Had he done so by himself though?

A knock on their door.

"Enter." Jeff called back.

In came an aging man with a grey beard, wearing a grey apron and with a pack of herbs and medicines on a strap around his waist.

"HealMaster, thank you for coming in on such short notice." Jeff greeted.

"It is no trouble, young Sirs." He bowed graciously, then rubbed his hands together, looking around. "Now, who is the person that I shall be attending?"

"Over here." Ness called the Healer over to the bed.

For a moment, the greying Healer did nothing but look with slight disdain at the unconscious boy.

"You wish for me to attend to...this boy?" He asked hesitantly.

Ness looked around the room as a subtle mock. "Yes."

"This...peasant boy..."

Behind the Healer, Jeff narrowed his eyes.

"Yes." Ness insisted. "What does it matter to you, HealMaster?"

The Healer caught himself. "Oh, I do not mean to offend." He leaned closer to Ness and talked in a quieter tone. "But would my efforts not be better used to take care of people of higher importance like you, Sir Noble, rather than on a lowly serf as this boy?"

The Healer's bargain to flatter Ness achieved the opposite effect. The young Noble looked insulted and mildly angry.

"I haven't the mood to be arguing over such an issue as class distinction." Ness tried to keep his head level. He was very far from Tazmily. "Please, either attend to this boy per our request, or we shall take our business elsewhere."

"Yes of course!" The Healer's answer was a bit too eager, and his smile a bit too forced.

Jeff shook his head when neither were looking at him. Truthfully he actually agreed with the Healer's thoughts. For a professional such as this man to waste time and effort on peasants, who were as numerous as they were likely to get sick due to low life standards, it was demeaning.

So he wasn't all too surprised at the half-heartedness of the Healer as he went to work on the peasant child, putting in a clear lack of effort in his work, a soft rebellious gesture. Ness noticed as well, but merely frowned displeasingly.

Some time into the examination, the Healer seemed to have noticed something significant, as his face frowned seriously. He took out a scalpel and sliced a miniscule cut over the boy's open chest, only enough for a few drops of blood to seep out. He scooped the crimson liquid up and dropped it into a container, where he mixed in some herbs. It didn't take long for a small slip of ominous lilac smoke to form from the container.

"This boy has been poisoned." He stated bluntly.

"What?" Ness burst out. Jeff held a hand out to stop him from overreacting.

"Elaborate." Jeff said.

"Yes. From what I can tell..." HealMaster held up the smoky container against a torch, studying it expertly. Then his eyes widened. "Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

As if the mixing tray had been a hot ember, the Healer hastily put it on a nearby table and retracted his hand lightning fast. The contents continued to stream smoke, hissing slightly.

The reaction served to agitate Ness even more, and now Jeff had given up suppressing his curiosity.

"Well?"

The old Healer bravely recomposed himself. He cleared his throat, though no one could deny the tinge of fear in his next words. "This child's blood, it is infused with a poison that is as deadly as it is cruel."

He shuddered before continuing. "Extracted from a mushroom found on the Tanetane Island Kingdom, this seldom used toxin turns men into feral animals. It brings out a human's inherent instincts to kill, amplifies it until it is all they can think about. The men literally go mad trying to bite their closest friends and family, before succumbing to the poison. Or to mercy killing."

The unspeakably horrid image of a child trying to bite his parents shook Ness like an arctic chill. Jeff seemed impassive, but if one could see behind his spectacles...

"Cure?" Was the natural next question Ness posed.

"None." The Healer sounded flat.

"Known users?"

"Tanetane guerilla warriors, though they seldom appear to anyone. Occasionally by Dalaam archers, it is rare but not unheard of for that Kingdom to apply in battle a poison they have no cure to." Jeff was the one who answered.

Ness looked down on the sleeping form, now burdened with the knowledge this boy had poison flowing in his veins that could potentially turn him into a savage.

Jeff asked the question before he could. "Is he dangerous as of right now?"

"In his current state, no. He seems to have passed out from exhaustion, rather than the effects of the poison. It is likely he received only a miniscule dose."

Ness's eyebrows rose. "Does that mean th-"

"Nonetheless, this peasant is already beyond help." The Healer continued. "Considering his age and health, he is not capable of fighting off even a smudge of such a Hellish poison. He will become a demon spawn within the week."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the inn room. The HealMaster took this break in conversation to use one of the torches along the walls and thoroughly burn whatever remained inside the mixing container. He then carefully scooped the ashes into a tiny metal tin, and put it into his medical pack for proper disposal.

"If I may make a suggestion, my Lords."

"Speak." Ness said distractedly.

"I believe Sir Vargas of Northern Cerulean possesses a crematorium that I'm sure he will be more than willing to lend to you for a proper funeral service if you so desire, if this peasant child truly means so to y-"

"That will do, HealMaster." Ness made it as clear as possible that he was not in agreement with the idea.

"But young Sir, the boy's life is now a foregone conclusion, would it not be merciful to send him to God as a person, and not the mindless savage he will turn into?"

"That is not your decision to make, HealMaster. We will decide what to do with the boy."

"Are you certain?"

Jeff was not certain at all. He was inclined towards the Healer's suggestion. But one look at the stormy eyes of Ness was enough to discourage voicing his thoughts.

"Yes, we are." Ness said firmly. "You have done well to-"

"My Lord, this child presents a dangerto you, to everybody. Reconsider what plans you ha-"

"Healer, you will be silent when a Nobleman speaks!"

Jeff's flinch was nowhere near as impressive as the Healer's. The old man seemed ready to have a heart attack. How incredibly rare it was to see a person as mild and cheery as Ness to use such a commanding tone, though in reality it was the Healer's fault. Never step out of your bounds near Noble or Royal blood, no matter how young or inexperienced they appear. Ness was lax on doctrine, but he had his limits as well. The Dalaam farmer who challenged him was an example of what would happen to those who put a toe across the line.

"I shall repeat myself, it is not in your place to make our decisions for us." Ness's voice was glacial. "You have done well to examine the boy and tell us of his condition." He took out a small sack of gold Dragon Points, and tossed it to the HealMaster. The elderly man barely reacted fast enough to cup the sack with both his hands.

"Now then, good day to you, HealMaster." Ness turned around and looked out at the gloomy sky, making it clear he would not acknowledge any further words out of the Healer's mouth.

The Healer slowly bowed towards Ness's back, turned, and did the same to Jeff, who returned the gesture with a nod. The apron wearing man then stepped out silently, with an obvious shadow of displeasure lingering on his face.

Jeff could not recall a more awkward silence between himself and Ness.

"Stop tiptoeing around me, Jeff. You know me far better than that."

Jeff frowned. "Then will you allow me to speak my mind?"

"Of course."

"Well then." Jeff cleared his throat. "Are you mad!?"

"How blunt."

"Not only did you make a case of insulting that man's profession, but you did so for the sake of some peasant child that you've never met before!" Jeff lambasted. "Why did you not heed the HealMaster's warning?"

"Jeff."

"I would think you have more sense than that. I should not need to remind you the purpose of this journey. What do you plan to do with him in any case?"

"Jeff."

"I..." Jeff sighed. The calm manner Ness was conducting himself defused a lot of his frustration. "Yes, Ness?"

"What do you know about this poison that the Healer has not said?" He tilted his head at the brown haired child, who must really be knocked out to sleep through all the noise they were making.

"Well..." Jeff sat at the edge of the bed, tapping his chin. "From the description the Healer gave, this poison is most likely a strain of the Annabelle Toxin, named after the first Queen of Nowhere Kingdom, because she is the only person to live through its effects without turning feral. It is said that the pioneers of Nowhere Kingdom met with a rogue group of bandits who used this poison to infect a town they wished to pillage. Queen Annabelle was struck with an arrow tipped with the toxin, but somehow... miraculously... lived..."

The blond trailed off. Ness was provoking him by making a blatant yawning gesture. Jeff was not impressed.

"You asked, and I provided with an answer." He said, not entirely cross, but folded his arms disdainfully anyways.

"That wasn't an answer, that was a lecture." Ness snickered, grinning brightly.

He wanted to stay angry, but once again, Jeff found himself unable to resist the charisma and high spirit of his best friend. He grinned back.

"Well the next time you seek an answer, you best look elsewhere."

"Alright, I apologize, you academic show off." Ness raised his hands as if surrendering. "But carrying on, any other noteworthy information?"

"Well, Annabelle Toxin is a forbidden chemical within Nowhere borders, but it shows up from time to time as a tool of siege. An effective psychological weapon, watching your own warrior brethren turn into savage animals who attack you mindlessly lowers morale. And like I said, Dalaam is a known user of this poison."

"And you say there are no conventional cures, right?"

"None that I know of."

"What about... more unconventional cures?"

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Do you think magic could heal a poisoned person?"

The blond blacksmith felt dumbfounded. He had not considered that. Poring over history texts, he came across nothing that could cure Annabelle Toxin in terms of medicine or therapy, but magic... was it even possible though? Surely they were not the only ones to think to cure poison through magic. But then again, this particular poison acts extremely quickly in most cases, and magic users in the battlefield were not exactly at a premium.

"I... cannot give a definite answer." Jeff admitted. After a pause he added, "But it's definitely not out the realm of possibility."

Ness let out a long breath. There was some relief in there, Jeff knew for sure.

"Lucas during our last training session said for me to expect to learn _Curing _spells soon."

Jeff drew a blank. "Who's Lucas?"

Ness blinked. "The King. King Lucas of Nowhere."

"Ah, right." Hearing Ness use the name without the title before it was strange, strange enough for Jeff to not realize immediately who he was talking about. Ness may feel comfortable using the King's name casually, but Jeff adhered more to the standard of addressing Royalty with their titles, despite having met Lucas in person.

"Anyways, Luc told me to anticipate learning _Curing _spells, so maybe-"

"I'm sorry, who's 'Luc'?"

"Luc, Lucas, the King of No... Have you not been paying attention Jeff?"

"Just because you have acquainted yourself with the King does not mean that you should expect me to understand these... lazily shortened names you give him."

"_My point being._" Ness pressed on. "Can _Curing _strain the poison from this boy's blood?"

Jeff adjusted his glasses, a signature move indicating deep thought. "It's doubtful... I've only heard of _Curing _working on fevers, sicknesses, and some of the more minor poisons."

He looked to the young child under the covers, then back to Ness, who seemed to wait his answer with almost naive anticipation.

He sighed. "But there's no conclusive reasoning to why it shouldn't work, I suppose."

"Good. You have no idea how much it means hearing you say that." Ness said happily.

Jeff blinked, not that anybody would be able to see it. He felt himself blush slightly. Did Ness really trust and value his intellect that much? He was, for a lack of better term, flattered. It made him regret coming along with Ness on this rather absurd journey for his long lost friend less and less.

"It's nearing night." Ness observed. And indeed it was, through the thick grey blanket in the sky, the smudge of light from the sun was already at the horizon. The rain continued to pour on. "Looks like we're staying the night."

No argument from Jeff. Their horses were tended to my the stable hands, and Ness thought his horse in particular deserved a bit more rest after riding so hard and so fast carrying both his weight and the mystery boy's.

"What shall we do for sleeping arrangements?" Jeff asked.

"Since you've already graciously placed your flag upon that bed, I shall be taking the floor, I guess." Though in reality Ness didn't mind. Their room had a few extra fur blankets that he planned to use as bedding. Their pick up slumbered on quietly on the other bed.

"Wait."

Jeff sounded a bit too serious and alarmed. "Yeah?" Ness said.

"What of the boy?"

"What of him?"

"We should heed the HealMaster's words. If the poison takes effect when we sleep, the child might prove to be an immense danger to both of us."

_Damn it, not a break to be caught. _Ness thought bitterly. It was a legitimate danger.

"Should we perhaps tie him up?" Jeff suggested.

"...no, I'd prefer we not go to such extremes. The kid's bad enough off as it is, I don't want to dehumanize him further."

"Then what do you suggest? Pay for another room?"

"...I'll stay watch for half the night, then I'll wake you to take another watch."

For a second Jeff thought there was no way Ness could be serious about this. Just why exactly was he going to such lengths for some bottom class child they picked off the countryside? It was absurd, idiotic.

"I suppose you'll be taking him with us when we set off in the morn?"

Ness nodded.

"Ness, I speak to you not as a challenger, but as a friend. Why are you sacrificing so much for this child?" Jeff sounded worried.

Annoyingly, Ness could not find an immediate answer to the question.

"Bypassing the fact that we are Nobles and he is a serf, you must know that the child will be a tow on our journey? We must make haste to give the best possible chance to find your friend Paula."

"But it does not mean we abandon those in immediate need." Ness insisted. "Look at him, he's scantly a decade in his life and he's already been poisoned by Annabex... Annabeast... whatever that thing is you said. He may be a lowly peasant, but he deserves a chance to live a more fulfilling life. And unless we happen across another mage wandering the roads, we are his best chance. So please, bear with it for a while, my friend."

Jeff was thinking that harvesting crops for Nobles would probably be the pinnacle of this kid's 'fulfilling life', but didn't say so. He merely sighed for what felt like the 100th time that night.

"Fine. But you better learn _Curing _soon, Ness."

-01210-

The brightly lit torches of their room now replaced by a singular simmering candle, Ness sat with his back against the wooden wall, staring forward but not really seeing. The rain fell persistently outside.

Suddenly he perked up. He caught a whiff of something... something tantalizing. But when he sniffed the moist air again, it was gone. Ness knew what it was. A cut of tender beef seared to perfection by his skilled mother. Steak.

_My imagination, probably..._

But it brought his attention to how hungry he was. He did not eat that much that evening. The inn served mostly fish and other strange seafood, and Ness was not a fan. His stomach growled on cue, the rumbling sound loud in the peaceful inn room.

The inn, while decent, was not perfect. A slight draft slithered into the room, and Ness shivered. He grabbed a wool blanket and wrapped it around him. He had not experienced such coldness during night for a long time now. In his large home back in Tazmily, his mother would often tiptoe into Tracy and his room to pull the blanket more snugly over their sleeping forms in the middle of the night. Ness never woke up exposed or shivering.

There was no such luxury here though. And here as he sat awake with the two slumbering bodies on comfortable beds, Ness began to feel lonely.

_Cerulean Estate. Closest Estate to Tazmily. But still over 200 kilometres away..._

200 kilometres away. His home was 200 kilometres away. His sister, his mother, were 200 kilometres away.

Ness fought a sudden urge to cry. His vision blurred a bit as the initial tears welled up. He was cold, he was hungry, he was alone.

He wanted his mother.

He forcefully shook his head, sniffed quietly, and bit back the bitter feeling. He considered waking Jeff to keep him company, but quickly dismissed the selfish thought.

_C'mon, Ness, keep it together. You're just getting started on your adventure... It's not like it's the first time you've done it..._

How was he going to battle this ailment thought?

Ness reached for his travel bag, and pulled out a stack of neatly cut parchment bound on the left side by a thick red dyed rope. This was supposed to be where he recorded notes during school, and it was little wonder why it was completely empty of writing.

But now... Ness rummaged around his bag, but could not find what he wanted. Then a sudden realization. He took off his prized headwear, a thin brimmed campaign hat with a feather attached, and slid the large flight feather out. Just as he thought, the feather was purposely made to double as a quill.

After obtaining ink and positioning himself more comfortably, Ness lowered the quill into the murky black substance, and hovered it over the parchment. The candlelight made shadows dance.

He began writing.

'_The Ninth Day of August, the first day of the journey in search of Paula._

_We began this journey with no allusion that it would go completely to plan. However, we had a goal, and that will be enough to see us through to the very end. I am Ness, and along with my best friend Jeffrey, we will embark on a grand adventure to find and return with a long lost and missed friend. This journal shall record all that will transpire...'_

He hoped that his mother would feel more pride than anger when she eventually read this...

-21012-

A/N: A few things.

One, I had thought disclaimers would make this story seem more 'professional'. I no longer think that. Not that I really want this story to be too 'professional' anyways. So no more of that 'I don't own...' BS.

Two, university is so important, yet such a pain in the ass.

Three, I'm a complete moron for not knowing 'blonde' refers to females, 'blond' refers to males. A complete, utter, moron. MORON, MORON, MORON. Maybe I should go find the Hummingbird Egg...

Last but not least, thank you, each and every one, for reading. I read and appreciate all reviews. Big thanks to some of the more consistent readers and reviewers, PeeKay Love you all. See you whenever.


	23. 20 The Void

"_My faithful. The time is upon us. God has entrusted us to cleanse our beautiful Eagleland Empire of all those who defile His name, and we shall willingly serve that cause!"_

_As everybody who stood tall around him roared with approval, Ness tried to shrink himself even smaller than his 10 year old body would allow._

_He did not want to be here, wanted no part of this crowd, but if he tried turn away now, he would certainly gather a few curious looks. And he could not chance that one of them may recognize him to be what he was._

"_Our work is nearly complete. Even now, those twisted and sinful diseases of humans run from our armies, God's armies. All magic users are blasphemers, thieves, abominations, who would use the instrument of our Lord for their own selfish purpose. The power of magic belongs to Him and Him alone, and we shall see to it that all who stole from our Lord are punished!"_

_Ness bit his lip. He was not a thief. He was not a thief, he was not a thief... not a thief... _

"_As our guns roar, and our cannons sing, we shall catch each and every mage who runs, hands covering their ears, from the symphony of our Eagleland's Royal armies, and we shall exterminate them all!"_

_The crowd roared appreciatively once more. Ness needed to escape, slip away now before they catch him. Perhaps now, as they were too caught up in that preacher's speech..._

"_And as a special treat for each and every one of the Lord's adamant followers, let us demonstrate for you how we shall send all mages back to Satan's domain..."_

_Creaking of wheels. A wooden cage was being pulled up. The preacher pulled down the curtain covering it. _

_Ness's body electrified._

_Sitting in a corner of the large wooden cage, wearing only a ripped white overall, was a small boy, also 10 years of age, with rather long brown hair that flowed down both sides of his face. His home was the small country town of Unett. He attended the same school as Ness. His name was Jake, and he was one of his closest friends._

_But instead of the jovial smile he usually wore, his brown eyes were downcast and despaired. Seeing his friend like that made Ness's stomach turn. He wanted to help him, but how? _

_The crowd murmured._

"_Have you been deceived? Has the Devil tricked you with his illusions? Do not be fooled, my faithful. These hellspawns have many tricks to lure you into a false sense of security. I assure you, this boy, this seemingly innocent little boy, will become a mage. So what better way to stop a cancer than to fight it before it can grow?"_

_Two of the preacher's guards opened the cage and grabbed the boy on each arm. He struggled against them, but in the end a futile effort. _

_And Ness, he could only watch with utter horror tingled with shameful curiosity as Jake was held up and tied to a massive wooden cross. He had never known his friend was a mage like himself. Then again, he only discovered his own potential by accident. Perhaps it gave insight to how he got along so well with Jake..._

_All thought was obliterated when Ness saw the preacher hold up a ceremoniously decorated knife._

"_Allow me to demonstrate to you, the fruit of his thieveries."_

_Without a second more of delay, the preacher plunged the knife deep into Jake's right arm, and dragged it slowly down towards his elbow._

_The boy thrashed and screamed, but the ropes held firm. Ness bit down on his lips to prevent himself from calling out. The longer he watched his friend being tormented, the more he began to feel an uncomfortable tingle in his own right arm... _

_Finally, a result desired by the preacher. The extreme pain caused Jake to reflexively shoot out a burst of magic power, knocking the preacher off his feet and away from where he was bound to the cross. _

_The crowd gasped and began backing away from the tied up boy. _

_Ness's eyes bulged. There was the undeniable proof that his friend was indeed a magic user. But that meant... nothing was going to save him now. Ness bit down harder on his lip._

_The preacher was helped up by his subordinates, grinning widely. He pointed a vicious finger at Jake, whose head was drooped, sobbing quietly. Blood flowed freely from the wound._

_So much blood. _

"_This! This is what happens when a human tries to control the powers of a God! This is the danger that all mages present to our wondrous society!"_

_The tingle on Ness's right arm was becoming a full on burning sensation now. _

"_My faithful, answer me. What is the only fate appropriate of this Devil spawn?"_

_The crowd chanted in response. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"_

_Ness was utterly, utterly horrified. _

_The preacher swiftly bounded up to Jake again, and roughly yanked Jake's long hair back to force the boy to look at him. He held up the scarlet coated knife. Jake stared at it with a look of anguish._

_There was something else Ness saw in that look. _

_Acceptance._

"_May you return to whence you came, blasphemer." The preacher whispered._

_The knife stabbed into the boy's chest. Blood spurted out, painting the sky red. The crowd cheered. Ness bit down even harder on his lip._

_And all of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as well..._

_The knife dragged down, creating a thick vertical line of crimson on Jake's chest. _

_The pain slowly moved down Ness's chest, leaving a trail of blazing agony. _

_The crucified boy was no longer screaming._

_Then the preacher raised his vacant hand high in the air, and dove it straight into the boy's ripped chest._

_An abrupt blow of pain so intense Ness saw stars. His lip was now chewed open. He dropped to his knees. The crowd did not notice as they lustfully cheered on the preacher._

_And with a resounding rip and splash of blood. The preacher withdrew his hand. _

_In his fist was Jake's heart._

_Ness suddenly felt his insides shut down. His chest felt as if it was hollowed out... the pain was too much. Too... much..._

_He heaved, and threw up on the ground._

"_Oh goodness!" _

"_Somebody! Get this child some help!"_

"_Poor boy, the display must've been a bit too much for his fragile soul..."_

_One more thought crossed his mind._

_I don't want to be a mage..._

_Then he blacked out._

_..._

_Words came flying at Ness out of the darkness._

"_Ness!"_

"_Ness where are you!"_

"_Come on, we need to flee!"_

"_He lived through the Empire's attack on Peaceful Rest Valley."_

"_...lived..."_

"_Shellshocked..."_

"_Get him out of here, he will not become a part of the rebellion."_

"_Ness, Paula wants to see you..."_

"_Ness."_

"_Ness..."_

"_You lived."_

"_You're still alive, and that's all that matters."_

"_You are destined for greatness, Ness."_

"_You are strong..."_

_..._

_He was standing in utter darkness. There was absolutely nothing._

_But then..._

"_Traitor! Thief! Blasphemer! Affront to the Lord!"_

_Out of the darkness came charging that same preacher, holding a bloody knife, face contorted with mad rage._

_Ness's mind flooded with panic. The image of his childhood friend, hung limply on the cross, mutilated and bloody, flashed across his sight. His right arm, his chest, his insides were set on fire._

_He closed his eyes, and in an act of pure instinct, thrust both arms towards the charging preacher._

_..._

_Nothing happened for a long time. _

_Ness slowly ventured his eyes open. _

_And saw the preacher standing there._

_With a hole burned clean through his middle._

_Ness looked at his hands in shock. They were glowing bright red._

_Then the hole began to grow in size, as if consuming the rest of the preacher's body. Slowly, the man's corporeal form disintegrated in flakes of bright red exactly the same colour as Ness's hands._

_It didn't take long for the preacher's whole body to disappear into red shards, each of which floated away gracefully and were swallowed up by the darkness. _

_Ness gulped._

_He had killed a person..._

_...no... _

_...not just killed..._

_...he had wiped his entire being from existence._

_Then more words came hurling out at him._

"_God spells..."_

"_Timedistort..."_

"_Possession..."_

"_Stormsummon..."_

"_...the Omega Incantation..."_

_"..."  
><em>

"_...Ness..."_

_He spun around, recognizing that last voice._

_...or at least he thought he did.  
><em>

_The figure was almost completely blanketed by darkness. Large parts of his body and face were cut off, hidden. His face had only an eye, hair, and mouth visible. He would've been almost completely unrecognizable to Ness..._

_...If it weren't for the dark orange hair and jade green eye.  
><em>

_Ness would never forget those traits. The mystery boy, who wielded a sword like a master, who possessed magic powers, who was the first death Ness witnessed in the Nowhere Kingdom.  
><em>

_The dismembered figure spoke again, mouth not moving, in a voice that seemed so incredibly familiar to Ness, yet... twisted in a way that made it just beyond the reaches of his memory.  
><em>

_"You are the one who saw my demise."  
><em>

_That was so long ago, yet only a short time had passed since Ness was obsessing himself with finding this boy's identity. He had never been able to neglect the memory. The image of that man stabbing a sword through this boy played and replayed in his head over and over.  
><em>

_"Who are you?" Ness asked.  
><em>

_No answer.  
><em>

_"Tell me, I've looked everywhere just to find out what your name is! Are you a spellcaster like me? Why were you fighting that man?"  
><em>

_The jade green eye flashed. _

_"That man is responsible for the death of my family."  
><em>

_Ness stuttered, unsure how to react. _

_Then a small part of the black fog over the orange haired boy's face cleared, revealing his second eye.  
><em>

_Startling red.  
><em>

_"Just like how I will be responsible for the death of this Kingdom."  
><em>

_Ness felt a new feeling of desperation, craving answers that he never seemed to get anymore. He ran forward towards the boy's mismatched face, but the distance between them never closed.  
><em>

_"What are you talking about?! You bastard, tell me who you are! And why you want to destroy the Nowhere Kingdom!"_

_The boy's mouth did not move a millimetre as he voiced in a grave tone.  
><em>

_"The fall of King Lucas is the will of God. And I am the willing servant to that cause."  
><em>

_Ness saw a hand, disconnected from a body by the dark shroud, raise slowly and point toward him. A flash of cyan formed around the hand.  
><em>

_"We are different, Ness. We are two men facing each other on two sides of a valley that we can never bridge."  
><em>

_His mind incoherent, Ness couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the magic spell the other was conjuring, just like how he couldn't shake the feeling that he recognized that voice.  
><em>

_The cyan glow brightened.  
><em>

_"But at the most basic, the most primal level..."  
><em>

_And now the entire space was filled with blinding light. Ness covered his eyes.  
><em>

_ "We are one and the same."  
><em>

_Then everything was gone.  
><em>


End file.
